


Endgames

by EASchechter



Series: On his Brother-in-Law's Secret Service. [19]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cabin Pressure, Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mention of prior miscarriage., Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 42
Words: 110,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EASchechter/pseuds/EASchechter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the end of all things comes calling, who will stand against it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Been building to this for a while. This will be the final part of Secret Service. I will be posting regularly, but it may be slow.
> 
> Also, when I refer to the Ting, that's not a typo. Law among the Norse was dealt with by a group known collectively as the Ting or the Thing (the first letter of the word is thurisaz, which transliterates as "th", but is sometimes pronounced as a "t")

Fury looked across the desk at the red-haired agent sitting facing him. In the two years since he'd been recruited, Field Agent Crieff had proved to be a valuable asset to SHIELD. He was a multi-talented pilot of quinjet, flying car, and somehow, Clint Barton's sky-cycle. Fury still wasn't sure how _that_ had happened. He was also their resident expert in the occult, and had more resources in that regard than Fury knew existed.

And he had requested this meeting for some reason known only to him. Maria had said only that Martin had asked to meet with the director for a personal matter. No other information. Privately, Fury thought that the man was learning too much from his Holmes wife and her family.

"Martin, what brings you here?" Fury asked.

"Well, sir... I need to request a leave of absence." Martin smiled slightly, making himself look younger. "A year."

"A year?" Fury studied him for a moment. "Why?"

"I promised Liv." Martin looked down, then took a deep breath. "You know the circumstances... what happened before I joined SHIELD."

Fury nodded slowly. "The miscarriage. Yes."

"I promised Liv then that when she got pregnant again, I was going to take her and Vee to Sussex and we'd have a nice, quiet year. No drama, nothing trying to kill us. Just... us. For the whole year."

Now he understood! Fury grinned. "Congratulations, Martin. How far along is she?"

Martin colored slightly. "Thank you, Sir. And sixteen weeks, with twins. We didn't want to say anything before because..." he stopped and shook his head. "We wanted to be sure."

"And, a year. Will you still be available to consult, if we have something requiring your expertise?"

"Of course!" Martin said. "And I do still expect you for Christmas. If you're free this year?"

Fury laughed. "You have got a set on you, Martin. You're going to keep inviting me until I show up, aren't you?"

"Quite possibly, yes," Martin answered with a grin.

"I'll check my calendar." Fury shook his head, amused despite himself. "Dismissed. See Maria for the paperwork. And tell your wife I said congratulations."

"I will, Sir. Thank you." Martin rose, saluted, then turned and left the office.

#

Once the paperwork was filled out, there was nothing else for Martin to do on board the helicarrier. Maria told him to report to a quinjet leaving in three hours, which left him at loose ends until then. He was just starting to head to the recreation room when he heard someone coming up behind him. He recognized the feel of her right before she pounced, and managed to twist out of the way before he landed up flat on the deck. Again. It had become a game, ever since Natasha had learned that he could sense her coming.

"Better!" she said, nodding. "Much better. You're getting faster."

"Not bad for a man who just turned forty," Martin said with a grin. "Are you off duty or on your way someplace?"

"Looking for you, actually," she said, falling in next to him. "A year?"

"You're quick," Martin said. "I only just signed the papers. And yes."

Natasha nodded. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Depends on what you think it means," Martin answered. "I.. don't remember talking about this with you. I know Tony knows why I asked--"

"I haven't seen Tony. Is he here?"

"Not that I know, no."

She nodded again, moving ahead of him to pass through the door to the recreation room first. She turned and faced him as he came into the room. "Olivia's pregnant?"

Martin grinned. "Yes, it is what you think. And yes, that's why I'm taking a year off. I leave in three hours for home."

"Congratulations," Natasha said, her voice warm. "You make sure you keep working out while you're gone. I don't want to have to retrain you when you get back."

"I don't think my back would appreciate it." Martin grimaced in memory of the first time he'd been cajoled into sparring with Natasha. He should have known better -- he'd seen her fight. But he hadn't quite expected that some of the other agents would try hazing the newest operative, telling him that she was going to teach him more advanced hand-to-hand. Nor did he expect that someone would go out of their way to convince Natasha that this was Martin's idea.

She'd mopped the floor with him. And then with the agent who lied to her, once she and Martin had compared stories. A week later, once he could move again, she actually did start teaching him.

"So what are you going to do while you're home?" Natasha asked, dropping gracefully into a chair.

"Absolutely nothing. Drink?"

"Water is fine. Sounds boring."

Martin brought her a glass of sparkling water, sat down across from her with his own. "Natasha, my life has been entirely too interesting for the past six years. I'd like some boring, if only for a change of pace."

She grinned. "I give you six weeks."

"Nope," Martin said firmly, shaking his head. "I promised Liv the year. You'll come and visit, though?"

Natasha tipped her head to the side. "Can't promise anything. But if I'm in the area, I'll call."

"All I can ask for," Martin agreed. "Where's Clint?"

"Assignment."

Martin nodded. He didn't have the clearances that Natasha or Clint did. He didn't even have the clearances that Tony did, so sometimes, all he could be told was that one word -- assignment. "Well, when you see him again, give him my best, will you?"

"I'll do that. So, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

Martin grinned and answered "Yes. One of each would be nice. Or a matched set." just as the door opened and a pretty woman with long brown hair came in. She stopped, a surprised look on her face when she heard Natasha's question.

"Boy or girl? Matched set?" she repeated. "Martin?"

"Jane!" Martin rose and went over to greet her, hugging her warmly and getting kissed on the cheek. "How are you? I haven't seen you in months!"

"I'm fine," Jane answered, coming further in to the room. "Sounds like you're better, though. Congratulations. Twins?"

"No one was more surprised than I was!" Martin admitted.

"You nearly missed him," Natasha volunteered. "He's about to leave us for a year."

Jane looked startled. "A year?"

"Long story," Martin said, shaking his head. "Come sit. How is life in Tromsø?"

"Interesting," Jane answered. "That's partly why I'm here."

Martin arched an eyebrow. "Do I have to leave? I'm assuming I can hear this--"

"It's not classified," Jane assured him. "Just odd energy readings on the long-range scans. I wanted to compare my notes to the ones from the research stations in Arecibo and Goddard."

Martin frowned. "And... you couldn't do that remotely? Or..." his eyes went wide. "Oh. Something _really_ odd."

Jane smiled slightly. "I love it when you do that. It takes me hours sometimes to put the pieces together. You do it in seconds."

"You should see my wife's uncle," Martin said absently. Then he frowned again. "Actually, no. He'd be completely lost with this. It involves something off-planet. This doesn't involve a certain shiny object that caused us all a hell of a lot of trouble a few years back, does it?"

"I'm not sure," Jane said. "And that's all I'm going to say on the subject, other than the fact that said certain shiny object is still safe in Asgard. At least, it was two weeks ago." She smiled, and blushed slightly.

Martin grinned. "How is he?"

"Good. Busy." Jane shrugged slightly. "With everything that happened, he's been working to try and... smooth things over, I suppose."

"Still?" Martin asked. "It's been four years since New York."

"And longer since New Mexico," Jane said, nodding. "But diplomacy is slow--"

"Especially for someone who'd rather knock heads together," Natasha added. Jane rolled her eyes.

"There is that," she admitted. "He is getting better at it, though. He was telling me about some of it the last time I saw him."

"You actually talked? Just talked?" Natasha teased. "And about diplomacy?"

"Well, we can't talk about my work," Jane said with a laugh. "He glazes over."

"I think what Natasha is saying is that she's amazed there was any talking at all," Martin said, then ducked with Jane threw a cushion at him. When the laughter died down, Martin leaned back in his chair and sipped his water. He frowned slightly, and Natasha arched an eyebrow.

"He's got that look," she said to Jane. "What are you thinking, Flyboy?"

Martin shook his head. "Just... I'm curious. Why is he so busy? There isn't much he can do here, on Earth, not with that.. what did you call it, Jane? The bridge?"

"The Bifrost?"

"Right. That. I know they still haven't figured out how to recreate the Bifrost. So the diplomatic relations between Asgard and Midgard are... well, there aren't any of note, according to my father-in-law." Martin scratched the back of his neck, thinking about the little he'd learned from Mycroft. "I mean, I know it takes a hell of a lot of magic so that you can see him at all. And I can't imagine there would be much contact anywhere else, for the same reasons. If you can't get there, there isn't much of a chance for invasion, now, is there?"

Natasha nodded slowly, leaning forward. "Good point. Thor had to use some kind of crazy magic to get here to chase Loki. And then the Tesseract to get home."

"Right," Martin said, nodding. "Jane, how much space travel do the Asgardians have?"

Jane leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful. "I can't say I've heard of any. Thor hasn't ever mentioned ships."

Martin scowled. "Then... _why_ do they need Thor to be so busy diplomatically?"

#

Thor stormed through the halls, anger clear on his face, a distant rumble of thunder following in his wake. People scurried to get out of his way as he descended to the lower levels of the palace.

To the dungeons.

He turned a corner and found his father waiting for him.

"You lied to me!"

Odin arched his eyebrow. "I did not lie to you. I merely didn't inform you of the decision."

Thor stopped, then lowered his voice. "Father, you can't do this."

"The decision has been made." Odin started to walk. Thor followed, not needing to pay attention. He knew where he was going. Since they'd returned from Midgard, since the Ting had met and the lawspeakers had sentenced Loki to eternal imprisonment and eternal silence, Thor had made the trip down here every morning. He brought with him books, music, paper and pen and ink, anything that he could think of that might just convince Loki that Thor had not turned on the man he still thought of as his brother. Nothing ever worked, and Sif called him a fool for even trying. But still he came, every morning before he went to his new duties...

"Father, when did the Ting meet?" Thor asked. "And why was I not told?" Odin didn't answer, and Thor stopped in his tracks. "They didn't meet, did they? You made this decision."

Odin stopped and turned to look at Thor. "The Ting may have spoken, but I do not accept their answer. What Loki is, what he became, is my responsibility."

"Father, why?" Thor demanded again. "Why this? You're going to strip his mind from him--"

"And give him a a chance to live!" Odin snapped. "Did you perhaps notice the treaties with the Jotuns? And the agreements that were made?"

Thor frowned, thinking over the papers he'd read through over the past several days. "They were unspecified. Concessions to be made later."

"And they all involve Loki," Odin said, starting to walk once more. "I cannot leave him here, to go mad in silence. Despite what he thinks, how much he despises me, he is still my son."

"And yet you're going to wipe his mind!"

Odin stopped again, and spoke without turning. "To give him a chance. If I take his memories, take from him his seith-craft, then he can live the rest of his life among the Jotuns. Marry. Have a family. Have a life." He glanced over his shoulder. "I've discussed this with your mother. She reacted much the same way you have... and agrees that the alternative is unacceptable."

Thor stared, then looked away. "Have you explained this to him?"

"He will not hear me."

"Perhaps... he will listen to me?" Thor offered. "I've been--"

"Trying to reach him. I know," Odin interrupted, leading Thor past the door that led down to Loki's cell. "I know, and I approve. The time is past that. It must be done now, before the Ting realizes."

Thor's lips twitched. "Jane would call this asking forgiveness instead of permission."

"Your lady is wise for one of the Midgard."

Odin led the way through the dungeons and up a dusty staircase, then through halls into a tower that Thor knew hadn't seen use for years. He'd played here, as a boy, he and the others, playing hide-and-seek through the abandoned rooms, with Loki as an often-unwanted tag-along to the game. Until he proved to be better at it than any of them.

"Do you remember--?" Thor started to say.

"Yes."

"Mother was frantic."

"Having her youngest son vanish for seven hours will do that." Odin paused outside a closed door, then turned toward Thor. "You will be silent. If you argue with me or with my methods, you will leave. Do you understand?"

Thor nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

Odin turned back to the door, unlocked it, and walked inside. Thor followed, only to be stricken by what he saw inside.

The furniture that had once been in this room was gone, save only for a single, heavy chair and a small table. On the table was the Tesseract, pulsing with a bright, white light. And bound to the chair was Loki, heavy straps at his wrists and ankles, and across his body. The silver muzzle that bound both his voice and his magic glinted as the Tesseract flashed. He looked as if he were asleep, until the door closed. Then he opened his eyes, blinked, and his brows furrowed. He didn't look at Odin, Thor noticed. Instead, he looked at Thor. Thor glanced at Odin, who didn't notice.

Odin moved to the table and picked up the Tesseract. Loki's eyes widened, and he flinched, tugging at the straps. He shook his head, and Thor heard a soft whine -- the first sound he'd heard from his brother in four mortal years. Thor stepped forward, toward Odin, and stopped when Odin turned and glared at him. Once he was still, Odin turned back to Loki and raised the Tesseract.

White light bathed Loki's face, and the accompanying hum almost drowned out the muffled scream. Thor took another step forward, saw Odin shake his head as Loki slumped in the chair. The light went out, and Odin lowered the Tesseract

"Is it done?" Thor asked softly.

"Not entirely," Odin answered, raising the Tesseract once more.

The floor bucked as an explosion rocked the tower. Thor turned, just as a second explosion shattered the tower wall, knocking him backwards. He saw Odin fall, saw the Tesseract go skittering across the floor. Saw a familiar dragon-like ship undulating through the Asgardian skies.

"No..." Thor struggled back to his feet, cursing himself for leaving Mjolnir in his room. He held his hand out, felt the distant tug--

A third explosion behind him sent him flying, crashing into the wall hard enough that, for a moment, his vision went dark. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the Chitauri -- three of them. One was carrying the Tesseract. Another was dragging the still-unconscious Loki by the hair through the gaping hole in the wall onto the ship hovering outside. The third turned, saw Thor getting back to his feet, raised his gun and fired...

#

"He's waking."

Thor opened his eyes and found himself looking at the familiar ceiling of the healing hall. He heard hurried footsteps, and his mother appeared next to him.

"Mother?" He sat up slowly and looked around. There were beds and pallets everywhere, and each of them was occupied. "How bad is it?"

Frigga shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed. "To say very would be simplifying things. We were taken unawares. The damage is extensive. Many lives were lost."

"And Father?" Thor looked around once more. "Where is he?"

"I was going to ask you," Frigga said, her voice shaking slightly. "We haven't found him. He was with you?"

It took a moment before Thor could answer. "He... yes. He was there."

"Tell me."

Quietly, Thor told Frigga everything that he could remember, from the moment he met Odin in the hall until the Chitauri had raised its gun. She listened silently, then looked away.

"We must assume that they have both been taken," she said at length. "And they have the Tesseract."

Thor frowned, closed his eyes, and thought. "Is there a way to contact Midgard?" he asked. "Can Heimdel do that?"

Frigga shook her head."I don't know."

"If he can, then it must be done as soon as possible. The Chitauri will turn on Midgard next, and they must be warned. Is there a way for us to reach them, without Father and without the Tesseract?"

"Perhaps... one of the allies? The Jotuns, or the Vanir?" Frigga reached out and rested her hand over Thor's. "You realize you must take the throne?"

Thor nodded. "Until Father returns. Yes." He left unspoken the thought that Odin might not return. Instead he thought about allies, about contracts and diplomatic meetings. "Where's Fandral? Was he hurt?"

"No."

"Then I need him to go to the Ljósálfar. Faradei might be willing to help us, if we can find the right thing to offer in return." Thor glanced at his mother. She smiled.

"You've learned well, my son."

Thor shook his head. "I haven't learned nearly enough."

"You will."


	2. Chapter 2

 "I must say, it's good to see you in the captain's seat," Douglas said. "I could wish for better circumstances, but it's still good to have you back."

Martin looked over at him and nodded. "I agree about the circumstances. But it is good to be back. And the GENIE handles nicely. Are you and Herc treating her well?"

Douglas ran one possessive hand over the instrument panel. "She's a joy. I am surprised, though."

"How so?" Martin asked, glancing at the controls.

"That you were willing to take her up with the ladies on board."

Martin bit down on the wave of panic that he'd been fighting for hours. "Do you think I'd have been allowed to take off if I told Liv that she couldn't come and see her fathers off? And reassure herself that they were all right?"

"True." Douglas paused a moment before asking, "Will he be all right? Greg?"

Martin took a deep breath. "John says so. I won't lie, Douglas. It was close." Too close. A drug-crazed teen with a box-cutter, and Greg Lestrade in the wrong place at the wrong time. The frantic, middle-of-the-night call from John, and the drive back to London... Good Lord, the _drive_! He'd made a three hour drive in under two, and wasn't entirely certain how he'd done it. And never, ever wanted to do it again. But now they were all right. Greg was alive, and recovered enough that his husband had insisted on taking him away to finish recovering.

"But he will be all right?" Douglas repeated.

Martin nodded. "John says yes. He's got quite a bit of recovery to go through. But he's well enough now that no one objected too much as to where he was doing the recovering."

"Hence, the trip to Cannes," Douglas finished. "I'd no idea that there were Holmes estates in the south of France."

"Oh, yes. Very nice ones, too. The one in Cannes isn't the only one." Martin grinned. "Next time you want a vacation, let me know. We'll all go."

"Oh, that sounds like a grand time."

Before Martin could say anything, GENIE shook, hard. There was a solid thud, and Martin clearly heard a shout of alarm through the partially-open door as he grabbed the controls and steadied the plane.

"Skip!"

He was out of his seat and moving, even as he heard Douglas' voice: "I have her!" Then, more softly, "Steady, old girl."

Douglas could handle the plane. Martin drew his gun and let himself out into the cabin. Arthur was near the rear of the plane, standing in front of Liv and Vee. Standing between them and the figure sprawled on the floor.

"He came out of nowhere!" Arthur insisted.

"I can see that," Martin answered, moving toward the body on the floor. Battered. Bloodstains on the ripped shirt. Half-healed wounds underneath, only partially hidden. Heavy chains and manacles on his wrists. Face veiled by dark, greasy-looking hair. Martin glanced up, saw not a mark on GENIE's shell, then went to one knee next to the body and carefully rolled him onto his back.

"Good Lord!" he gasped, sitting down hard. It had been years since he'd last seen this man. But he knew very well who this was, despite the dried blood and bruises marring his face.

"Martin? Who is he?" Livvy asked. "Is he alive?"

"He's..." Martin stopped. Why here? Why now? How did he _get_ here? And who had done this to him? Not the Asgardians, surely!

And why did his every instinct say that he _needed_ to help this man?

"He's alive. He's hurt, though." Martin holstered his gun. "Arthur, help me get him onto the couch."

"You sure, Skip?" Arthur asked.

Martin looked up. "Well, no. But we're not going to just leave him on the floor."

Between the two men, they managed to get the unconscious man up off the floor and onto the couch, where Arthur covered him with a blanket.

"Now what, Skip?" he asked.

"Now... I'm going to call ahead. He's hurt, and he needs a doctor," Martin answered.

"Martin, who is he?" Livvy asked.

"And who hurt him, Papa?" Vee added. "Are we going to take care of him?"

"Ah, in reverse order. Yes, I don't know, and best if I don't say just yet." Martin met his wife's eyes. "Lady Crieff, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Martin."

"Then trust me now. Because right now, all I can say is... I don't know. Yet."

"All right," Livvy answered. "What should we do? If he wakes up?"

"Just... take care of him. You can pick locks, can't you?" Martin waved his hand at the man on the couch. "See if you can get those things off him."

"Yes, sir."

Martin studied the man on the couch for a moment, then headed back to the cockpit.

"What the hell was that?" Douglas demanded.

"Want to go look?" Martin asked. "Just... go look, then come back here. Do not say anything."

Douglas was gone under a minute. He came back, closed the cockpit door, sat down, and murmured, "Fuck."

"Exactly."

"So... do we contact SHIELD?"

Martin frowned and thought for a moment. "No."

Douglas coughed. "Excuse me. I could have sworn you just said no."

"I did. I mean... not yet. I need to think. Douglas... whatever happened that brought him here, that didn't come from the Asgardians." Martin turned in his seat to find Douglas staring at him. "That... you've met Thor. Torture? From him?"

"You're certain about that?" Douglas asked. "That he was tortured?"

"Pretty sure. And from what I've learned about the Asgardians, torture isn't their way. They'd execute him outright, but they wouldn't... not that. So who did this?"

"And how did he get away?"

"And are they looking for him?" Martin looked back at the controls. "And how did he get here?"

"You're being Sir Martin again."

"I'm never not Sir Martin, Douglas," Martin said with a grin. "But I know what you mean. Yes. He needs help. I'm going to help him."

"And if he turns on you? Tries to hurt Livvy or Vee, or the babies?"

Martin swallowed before answering, "Then I'll have to kill him."

#

"Mama, can I help?"

"May I?" Livvy corrected absently. The locks on these manacles were very different from what she was used to...

"May I help?" Violet asked.

"Of course, sweetheart. Ah... help Uncle Arthur put together towels and some water, and whatever we have for first aid, will you?" Livvy looked up and smiled at her daughter. "You weren't scared, were you, sweetheart?"

"Not as much as he was," Violet answered, pointing at the man on the couch. "I felt him, before he came through the ceiling. He was really scared."

"I'd be scared, too. Falling into a plane like that," Arthur said. "Come on, Vee. Water, towels, first aid kit. Anything else?"

"I'm not sure," Livvy answered, looking back at the lock. She winced slightly as one of the babies took that moment to kick. "Stop that," she muttered, then took one of her tools from the lock-pick set Sherlock had given to her. "Mama's busy. Violet, did you hear anything else?"

"No, Mama. He's got great big holes in his mind."

Livvy looked up. She knew she shouldn't encourage Violet to peek in other people's minds, but it was just so _useful_ sometimes! "Holes?"

"Big dark spots with nothing in them."

"I see..." Livvy went back to the locks, making a mental note find out if the Xavier School had an infant school. Odd assembly of tumblers, but they should still open if she did _this_...

The manacle fell open. Livvy nodded, feeling very satisfied, then grimaced at the raw skin that the open manacle revealed. How long had he been chained like this? She reached for the left, then gasped as a surprisingly-strong hand closed around her wrist.

"Oh!" Livvy met brilliant green eyes. "It's all right. You're safe," she said gently. "No one here is going to hurt you. Do you understand me?"

He hesitated, then nodded before looking around. His brow furrowed, and he looked back at Livvy, letting her go and pointing to himself. No, to the tarnished metal gag that hid the lower half of his face.

"I'll get that monstrosity off you in a moment. Let me get your other wrist," Livvy said. "Give me your hand. My name is Olivia, by the by. That's Arthur, and the little girl is my daughter,Violet. We're all going to help you."

The second manacle went much quicker than the first, but the skin underneath was worse. Livvy sighed and shook her head. "I don't like the look of this. I'll clean it, bandage it up. But we'll need to have you seen by a doctor. Can you sit up?" She shifted to give him room, and saw his eyes widen when he noticed the prominent curve of her belly. "Yes. Very pregnant. So you can see I'm not going to do anything untowards. Lean forward a bit, will you? I'm not as flexible as I was a few months ago." Livvy leaned toward him, gently turning his head from one side to the other so she could examine the gag. Then she slowly got to her feet and studied the strap where it ran underneath his hair, looking for a lock that wasn't there.

"Mrs. Skip?" Arthur asked.

"There's no lock." Livvy ran her fingers over the metal, peering closely at it. "No seam, no lock, no hinges. How did they get this on you? And how do I get it off?"

"Can we cut it?" Arthur asked. "I mean, if we had something to cut it with?"

"I ... maybe. I don't know what kind of metal this is," Livvy admitted. "I think... I think Martin may have to deal with this." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Are you uncomfortable?"

The gagged man shook his head.

"Well, thank heaven for small favors. Let me see to those wrists." Carefully, she bathed the raw skin, trying not to wince when he did. "My uncle John would do a better job of this," she muttered as she coated the skin in antibiotic ointment, then wound gauze around his wrists. As she taped the ends of the gauze, the speaker clicked on.

"We're on our final approach," Martin announced. "Everyone who can strap down should do so."

"Arthur, please go tell Martin that our guest is awake?" Livvy asked. "And Vee, sit down and put your seatbelt on." She picked up a clean towel, dampened it, and held it up. He jerked, then stared at her for a moment, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry," Livvy said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm going to get some of the blood off your face. Is that all right?" He relaxed slowly, then nodded. Livvy carefully dabbed at his face, sponging away dried blood and dirt, watching how his eyes closed. Resignation? Pleasure? She couldn't tell. The fear had been plain, though, and she wondered what had been done to this man, and who had done it.

"Skip says for you to strap in, Mrs. Skip. He says you're not allowed to take any chances."

"Of course, Arthur," Livvy said. She smiled and moved to sit across from the couch, fastening the seatbelt. The man lay back down and rested his bandaged hands on his chest, closing his eyes.

"You okay?" Arthur asked, standing next to the couch. "Can I get you a pillow? Another blanket?" Green eyes opened. He studied Arthur for a moment, then blinked and shook his head. Arthur smiled. "All right. You need anything, just wave, and I'll figure it out. And don't you worry. Skip and Mrs. Skip, they'll take care of you. We all will." He reached out and patted the man's leg. "You're in good hands now. Promise."

It was hard to tell, but Livvy thought that the man was smiling as he closed his eyes again.

"Mama?" Violet whispered across the table.

"Yes, Vee?"

"He's not scared any more."

And from the couch, there was a distinct, amused-sounding snort.


	3. Chapter 3

 Martin finished the final checks, then sat with his hands in his lap, trying to collect his thoughts. Then decided that chasing his thoughts around in circles might be a better way of describing it.

"What do we do now, oh mighty Captain?" Douglas asked softly. Martin snorted, drumming his fingers on his leg. Then he nodded.

"Take him home. The townhouse is empty, since Edmund and Hannah went back to Sussex. So I can defend it, if necessary, until we leave. And I know I can defend the house in Sussex against just about anything."

"If whoever did that comes looking for him, you mean," Douglas said. "Right. And... a doctor?"

"I'll call John, have him come to the house tonight."

"What about SHIELD?"

Martin ran his hand over his face, then looked back at the cock-pit door. It glowed blue for a moment. "I have to report this. All right. Hand me the satcom and don't say a word. I don't want them to know you're here."

It took a few minutes of proper procedure before Martin finally got through to General Fury.

_"Martin, what's all this about? Top scramble? I thought you were on leave."_

"I am, sir," Martin answered. "But we seem to have had a bit of an incident. I flew for MJN today. And we had a stow-away."

_"A stow-away?"_

"At ten thousand feet."

Silence. Then Fury spoke again. " _I'm listening."_

"Sir, has something happened on Asgard?" Martin asked.

_"We've heard nothing from Asgard. For months. Why?"_

"Because Loki is on board my plane."

_"I'll have a team there in under an hour--"_

"No, sir!" Martin interrupted. Douglas' eyes widened, but he said nothing. "Sir, I want to keep him here. He's been tortured, and looks like he only just recently escaped from something. Everything I know about the Asgardians says that torture isn't their way. Not like this."

 _"So you want to keep him?"_ Fury's voice spiraled up, and Martin blanched. _"He's not a stray dog, Martin! He's a war criminal. Technically, we could have him executed."_

"Sir, he came to me. I need to know why."

_"Martin--"_

"There's no such thing as coincidence, Sir," Martin interrupted. "He came to me. And there's something... I don't know yet. Now I have another question. Has there been any news about the Tesseract?" Now Douglas looked horrified. Martin shook his head and went on. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to know this, but Jane was in, the day I went on leave. She said there were odd energy readings. She also said that the Tesseract was safe in Asgard. But then again, Loki was supposed to be in Asgard, too." Martin shook his head. "I don't know. The men who tried to kill us in Budapest, back before I was part of SHIELD, and the UNIT officer who ordered the attack on Slayer headquarters. They were time-traveling, to kill me before I did... something." Martin looked at the closed cock-pit door. "I think we may have just found out what they were afraid I was going to do."

_"Save his life. So tell me why you're keeping him? And why you think I'm going to allow it?"_

Martin thought about it, then shook his head. "I don't rightly know, Sir. I will tell you this, though. If he's here, then I'm willing to bet that there's a good chance the Tesseract isn't on Asgard anymore. So whatever the reason is that they're trying to kill me... it's coming." He snorted. "And to think I promised Liv a quiet year."

Fury was quiet for a moment, then snorted. _"Right. I'm sending someone to check on you. In Sussex? Or in London."_

"In Sussex, sir. We only came up because of family emergency. Detective Inspector Lestrade was badly hurt, so we came to be near Olivia's father. But things are fine now, and we're heading back tomorrow for Christmas. Oh, and send Natasha, please?"

_"We. You're taking Olivia and Violet?"_

"You've met Olivia, sir," Martin pointed out. "Do you honestly think I'd be given a choice?"

To Martin's amusement, Fury immediately changed the subject. _"Why Natasha?"_

Martin sighed. "Because as much as I like and respect the Avengers, if you send Tony, he'll overreact and blow things up. If you send Clint, he'll overreact and blow things up. If you send Bruce, he'll overreact and he doesn't _have_ to blow things up. The only ones who will leave me with a house still standing are Steve and Natasha, and Natasha has a better governor on her mouth."

_"I'm going to tell her you said that."_

"Considering that I've told her that to her face, and she just laughed at me, you're welcome to do so."

_"All right. Tomorrow."_

"Late in the afternoon. We'll be getting there midmorning."

_"I hope you don't live to regret this, Crieff."_

"Yeah. Me, too. Off." Martin disconnected, then looked at Douglas and sighed. "All right. Let's go see to our passengers."

#

There was a soft buzzing as they came out into the passenger compartment. Martin couldn't identify it, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Liv looked up from the book that she and Violet were sharing. She smiled.

"Just a moment, sweetheart," she said to Violet. "Arthur's gone to explain what happened to Carolyn. He didn't think it was a good idea to have her come bursting on board. And our new friend is sound asleep."

"Oh, is that what the noise is?" Martin asked, trying not to laugh. Somehow, it was just a bit ridiculous. "He snores?"

"It might be that blasted gag. Martin, there's no lock. I couldn't get it off of him."

"Oh. Well, I'll take a look." Martin started towards the rear of the plane, and stopped when Livvy called him back.

"Wait. Don't wake him, Martin. Let me." She set the book down and slowly got to her feet. "I don't want you to scare him."

"Scare? _Him_?" Douglas asked. Livvy looked at him. Her brow furrowed slightly, and her eyes narrowed.

"He was really scared," Violet piped up. "Mama tried to wash his face, and he got really, really scared."

Martin looked at Douglas and arched an eyebrow. Douglas looked thoughtful and nodded. "You seem to have a point, Captain."

"And I'll be talking to you about that later," Liv added.

"Violet, what else did you see, in his head?" Martin asked.

"Bad things," Violet answered. Her nose wrinkled, and she shivered. "I didn't like looking. People hurting him, a lot. Funny looking people. And lots of dark spots with nothing in them."

"Dark spots with nothing in them," Martin repeated. "Interesting. All right. Liv, if you'd wake him up?"

Livvy smiled and went to the rear of the plane. Martin followed her, standing next to the table and watching as Livvy stood at the foot of the couch and gently touched Loki's blanket-covered leg. He jerked violently, arms coming up in a defensive gesture as he looked around wildly. He saw Martin first, and froze.

"It's all right," Livvy said softly. "It's all right. It's me. We've landed." She held her hand out to Martin, and he joined her. "This is my husband, Martin. He's going to get that damned thing off of you."

"If that's all right?" Martin asked. He held his hands up and waited, letting Loki look at him, watching as the fear slowly faded. "Can you sit up, or do you need help?"

In answer, Loki sat up, kicking off the blanket and swinging his legs over the edge of the couch. Martin came over and crouched in front of him, meeting his eyes. "I'm going to touch you now. I don't think anything I'm going to do will hurt, but if it does, I'm sorry."

A wary nod, and Martin slowly started examining the gag with his fingers, frowning slightly. Magic. Lots of odd magic. Asgardian, he assumed, since he seemed to remember a gag like this from New York. He wasn't entirely certain what the magic was supposed to do, but as he probed, he could see that there was no way to break these spells from the inside. From the outside, though, the lock was blindingly simple. "There it is. Just a moment..." he murmured, forcing a slender needle of magic into the gap and twisting it. Loki jerked, and the strap of the gag fell open.

"All right. Gently now." Martin took the mouthpiece of the gag and set it aside, noticing that the strap had simply vanished. "Probably a stupid question, but better?"

"Yes. Thank you." His voice was gravely but pleasant, the accent similar to Thor's. He looked around again. "Where am I?"

"Right now, in a small plane, at the airport, just outside London," Martin answered. "Which, I imagine, doesn't help things at all."

A small hint of a grin. "No. Not really."

"That's all right. Can you tell us who you are? And where you came from?"

The grin vanished. "I... no." He stopped and looked away, shaking his head. "I... don't know. I don't..." He closed his eyes, pressing his lips together. "All I remember is pain. There is nothing before the pain."

 _Dark spots with nothing in them._ Martin nodded. "All right. Well, you're safe with us. And we'll see what we can't find out. Now... we need to call you something." He stood up and looked around. "Any ideas, Douglas?"

"In the movies, people with amnesia are usually called John Doe," Douglas offered.

"We already have a John," Livvy said. "Another one would be confusing."

Douglas shrugged. "Well, then, pick another gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke, George, Paul, Ringo--"

"Wait."

"What?" Douglas looked shocked at the man on the couch. "Not Ringo!"

"No. The other one. Luke sounds... almost right." Loki frowned and shook his head, then winced.

"All right. Enough of this. We need to get you to bed, and seen by a doctor. We'll figure out names later." Martin turned and saw Livvy staring at him. He nodded once. "Let's get him home. Vee, get your coat. It's cold out there."

#

"Want me to come by?" Douglas asked.

"Only if you want to," Martin answered, standing by the driver's side door of the car. Everyone else was already inside. "John will meet us at the house."

"What are you doing for dinner? I could bring some take-away--"

"Douglas, you worry too much. We'll be fine. And I _can_ cook."

"All right. But I'll be calling later."

"Fine. You're not coming down for Christmas this year, you said?

"I think you'll have enough to keep you busy. Liv is due right around then, isn't she?"

"Yes. So, we'll see you after Christmas, then."

"Or before, depending on when the boys decide to make their grand arrival."

Martin grinned and got into the car, starting it up and looking into the backseat. "Everyone strapped in back there?"

"Yes, Papa!"

"I think so."

"We're all ready, Darling."

Martin pulled the car onto the airport access road and headed for the exit. "Any dinner requests?" he asked. "I'm cooking."

"Sagetti Carbona!" Violet called out almost before he'd finished speaking.

"Oh, that would be lovely," Livvy said. "If you're going to cook? I'm pretty certain we have everything in the house."

"Right. Spaghetti Carbonara it is." Martin merged into traffic and glanced at his mirrors. "Hungry?"

"Starving. Enough to eat whatever sagetti might be."

Martin grinned. "Spaghetti Carbonara. Pasta. Mixed with eggs and cheese and bacon and..." In his mirror, Martin could see the confusion on Loki's face. "Never mind. You'll like it. And if you don't, I'll make something else for you."

There was silence from the back seat.

"I don't know where I am," Loki said slowly. "Or who I am. I don't understand what has happened, or why. Or why you're helping me."

"That's 'cause Papa's a superhero."

"No, I'm not," Martin said with a grin. "I'm not a superhero. But... you needed help. We're helping you."

"You don't even know me!"

"You still need help." Martin looked into the mirror again. "You are welcome in our home. For as long as it takes. You're safe with us."

There was a long silence. "And if they come for me?"

The question was soft. Hesitant. Almost as if he expected to be thrown to whoever it was who did this. Martin waited until he stopped at a red light. Then he turned in his seat.

"If they come for you, then we fight," he said firmly. "You are under my protection."

"Our protection," Livvy said. Martin looked at her. She smiled and nodded. "Ours."

"Ours," Martin repeated. It felt right.

"Green light, dear."

"Ah. Thank you." He turned back and started driving again. "Have you decided on a name? Are you going with Luke?"

"It sounds almost right. I'm not certain, though."

"Let us know when you decide. We have a brace of name books at home, so you can page through them, see if there is anything you like better. How do we explain him, Liv?"

"Your cousin or mine?"

"Distant cousin, I suppose?" Martin considered it. "Huggett. What do you think? Luke, or whatever you decide on, Huggett?"

"Huggett?" Loki asked.

"My mother's family." Martin explained. "So, if anyone asks, you're a cousin of mine who..." he stopped. She'd kill him for this one.

"Martin..."

The warning in Liv's voice set him off. He _had_ to. "... dropped in for Christmas."

"Martin!"

It wasn't the disdain in Livvy's voice that made Martin laugh, or the little girl indignation from Vee -- "Papa, that was terrible!"

It was the high-pitched, staccato giggles from the backseat.


	4. Chapter 4

 Martin pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine, then closed his eyes and let his mind range.

"John's here," he said. "Told him to come on in?"

"It didn't make any sense to have him wait outside, when I didn't know what the traffic would be," Livvy answered. "He'll probably have tea waiting for us. It's bitterly cold tonight."

"It will snow."

Martin turned and looked at Loki. "You think so? The weather service hasn't said."

"You can't taste it in the air?" Loki asked, looking surprised.

"No, I can't. Must be useful to be able to do that." Martin opened the car door and slid out. "Come on, then. Can you manage the stairs, Liv?"

"I'm fine."

Martin nodded. "All right. And you?" He looked at Loki, who had one hand resting on the roof of the car. "You look unsteady."

Loki frowned slightly. "I think... yes. Unsteady is a good word for it."

"Liv, go on ahead. I'll be a moment." Martin turned his attention to Loki, who had gone from looking unsteady to looking sick. With a start, he realized what it had to be. "You haven't eaten. At all. In... how long?"

"I can't remember not wearing that thing," Loki admitted.

"Liv! Tell John that we can add starvation to the list."

John must have been close enough to hear, because he appeared at the foot of the steps almost immediately. "Starvation? What the bloody hell --?" He stopped when he saw Loki, and Martin watched as Uncle John transformed into Captain Doctor Watson. "All right. Martin, can you help him up the stairs?"

"Into the kitchen?"

"The light is better there."

"Right." Martin met Loki's eyes. "Put your arm around my shoulders. Let me take your weight."

Loki slumped against him. By the time they reached the kitchen, he was barely on his feet, and Martin almost poured him into a chair.

"Liv, pour some of that tea, Lots of sugar, and half milk," John called over his shoulder. Martin went and picked up the cup, bringing it back and offering it to Loki, who stared at it owlishly.

"What is it?"

"Drink it," Martin insisted. "It will help."

"Small sips," John warned.

Loki blinked, took the cup and slowly drained it, then handed it back and said, "More, please?"

Martin smiled, standing up and going to the teapot. As he filled the cup, he watched John open his bag. But he didn't take anything out. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest.

"What's your name?" John asked. "And what can you tell me?"

"We'll be upstairs," Livvy murmured softly, taking Vee by the hand. "I assume that we're not cooking tonight?"

"Ah... I don't think so. Order takeaway, will you?"

"Of course. Call us when you're done." Livvy smiled and led Violet out of the room.

Martin brought the tea back to Loki. Loki took the cup and hesitated a moment before answering John.

"Luke," he said slowly. Then he looked at Martin. "And... I don't know."

"Near as we can figure from what I could see, he was tortured. We don't know for how long, or by who," Martin said. "When we found him, or he found us, he was gagged and chained."

"Right. We'll have to be careful. Liquids only, for a bit. Milk, juice." John nodded, frowning. "I'd rather have him in the hospital, on an IV protein drip. But... I had an interesting call on my way here."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yes," John said. He looked up at Martin, and there was a promise of hell-to-come in his eyes. "And so we're going to do the best we can here. I might have to call in some favors to get an IV here, if he doesn't respond."

"I am sitting right here," Loki said softly. There was a hint of chill in his voice. John looked at him and grinned.

"Right. Sorry to be talking over your head."

Loki nodded. "What is wrong with me?"

"You mean, other than the starvation and the physical injuries that I haven't even started on?" John asked. "Refeeding syndrome is my big worry. Sometimes, after long periods of being deprived, the body can't handle any kind of nutrients, and it goes into shock. It could be fatal, if not handled correctly. So we start you slow, with very small meals. We rebuild your strength."

Loki nodded slowly, then looked over at Martin. "No sagetti?"

""Fraid not, mate. I'll make it for you another time."

"Sagetti? You were making spaghetti? You're cooking?" John looked around the kitchen. "Where's Hannah?"

"She and Edmund left for Sussex this morning. We were going back tomorrow."

"Oh, no you're not," John said firmly. "You're not going anywhere with him in this condition. You're here... a week, at least."

Martin stared. "It's that bad?"

"Quite frankly, yes. I'll check again tomorrow. Depending on what I find, I might beg that IV rig from St. Barts." John took a small scanner out of his bag and held it up. "Now, this won't hurt at all. Just sit still."

"While you're working, I'll have to make a call," Martin said. "Two calls. I'll have to let Edmund and Hannah know we're delayed. And..."

"You won't have to worry about her," John interrupted without looking away from the scanner. "She's coming here. Now."

Martin rolled his eyes. "I told him tomorrow!"

"Apparently, when he told her, she insisted. Or so I'm told." John lowered the scanner and reached out to take Loki's left arm. "Any pain here?" he asked, tapping Loki's forearm with one finger.

"A bit, yes." Loki answered.

"Tried to block something?"

That little grin again, the one that made him look like a mischievous kid. "A club. How can you tell?"

"It's obvious. Someone coming in trying and split your skull, you raise your arm." John raised his own arm, then touched his forearm. "Scanner shows you've a mostly-healed break in the radius, here. Really, not even enough left of it to cast."

"What else?" Martin asked. "Anything else we need to keep an eye on?"

"Of injuries? No. Looks like there was some major damage, but it's all in various stages of healing, and healing well." John tucked the scanner into his pocket. "Who took care of his wrists?"

"Olivia," Loki answered.

"She did a nice job. Keep that clean and covered, and don't scratch it, Luke. Now, drink up the rest of that tea, and let's get you to bed. Martin, do you have anything he can wear?"

"Pyjamas, sure. And an extra bathrobe," Martin answered. "And it looks like he'll fit my clothes well enough. We'll have to go shopping before we go off to Sussex, though."

John frowned slightly. "He's staying, then?"

"He's here as my guest, John," Martin answered. "And he's under my protection."

John met his eyes, then nodded. "I see. Well, come on then. Let's get him to bed."

They took the lift, and Martin fetched pyjamas and a robe from his bedroom before meeting John and Loki in the guest room at the back of the house. John had helped Loki take off his ruined shirt, and was leading him into the bath.

"A quick wash-up before bed," John said when Martin came in. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Right. Ah..." Martin arched an eyebrow at John, then looked at Loki. "Luke? Do you need help?"

Loki looked at him, then at the shower enclosure. His eyes widened. "Oh. I... no. No, thank you. If you'll show me how it works?"

John showed him how the shower fixtures worked, and pointed out towels and toiletries. "If you need anything, just shout. We'll be outside. And let me remind you, I am a doctor. And a married man. There's nothing you have that I haven't seen before. So no reason to be shy."

"Yes, sir," Loki said, his eyes wide. John grinned and closed the door behind him as he and Martin walked out.

"Have Liv order for me, will you?" he said. "I want to hear this conversation when Miss Romanov shows up."

"I should have Liv order for her, too." Martin rubbed the back of his neck. "So?"

"So, this little thing?" John held up the scanner. "Came from SHIELD. I'll tell you later what I found."

Martin nodded and stepped out of the room, heading downstairs. As he reached the ground floor, the doorbell rang. "I've got it!" he shouted, and went to open the door.

Natasha was standing on the steps, her hood up against the snow Martin hadn't noticed starting. She didn't look happy.

"Haven't I taught you anything?" she demanded.


	5. Chapter 5

 "Good to see you, too," Martin said calmly. "Come in. Tea?"

"Martin--"

"Vee is still awake."

She pulled up immediately. "Oh. You could have said."

"Funny, it seems you went on the attack the minute I opened the door. Szechuan noodles?" Martin asked as he took her coat.

"Martin, I am serious--

"So I gathered, yes." Martin turned away and put her coat in the closet, then turned back. "Natasha, you are my dear friend, and I appreciate your concern. But there is something happening here that I can't even begin to understand. All I know is that it centers around him." He pointed at the stairs.

"Right. It centers around a power-mad lunatic with superhuman powers."

"No, right now it centers around an escaped prisoner, who has recently been tortured, who has no memory at all of anything other than torture -- and that comes from my resident telepath, who says he has nothing in his mind but people hurting him, and who doesn't even know his own name! Oh, and who was starved to the point that giving him the wrong thing to eat might just kill him."

Natasha blinked twice, looked up the stairs, then back at Martin. "Szechuan noodles?"

"Not funny."

"Aunt Tasha!" Vee came barreling down the stairs and flung herself at Natasha, who caught the child in midair and hugged her before putting her down. Livvy came down the stairs after Vee, and greeted Natasha warmly.

"You look wonderful!" Natasha said.

"I look like a barn," Livvy replied, laughing. "And with as hard as they kick, I swear they're wearing shoes in there."

"Darling, if you haven't ordered yet, Szechuan noodles for Natasha, please? And John said to order for him, too."

"John Watson is up there with him?" Natasha asked.

"He needed a doctor. We wanted one who wouldn't ask too many questions," Livvy answered. "There's tea in the kitchen. We're doing for ourselves tonight."

"What, are you slumming?" Natasha teased.

"We going back to Sussex tomorrow."

"We were supposed to go back to Sussex," Martin corrected. "Sorry, Liv. John says we're not going anywhere with... with Luke in the condition he's in."

"Luke?" Natasha arched one eyebrow.

"The name he picked. He said it sounded almost right," Livvy answered. "Come on, Natasha. We'll have some tea while we wait for dinner. Then after we eat, I'll get Vee to bed and you can talk with Martin. And you'll stay the night, I hope?"

"She'd better," Martin said. "It's snowing. Traffic is going to be a complete snarl."

"Oh, I'd better order the food, then," Livvy said. "Natasha, come on back to the kitchen for a cuppa."

Natasha glared at Martin, then followed Livvy and Vee back towards the kitchen. Martin sighed and started back up the stairs, only to be met by John coming down.

"How is he?"

"Exhausted. Asleep already, if you can believe it." John tucked his scanner back into his pocket. "Who was at the door? Natasha?"

"Yes. And she's rather annoyed at me."

John looked amused. "Need a place to hide?"

"She'll understand, once I have a chance to explain to her."

"Good. Because I want to understand, too."

#

Explanations didn't come for hours, not until after they had eaten. Martin took a sleepy Violet up to bed, and came back to find Livvy, John and Natasha sitting around the table, sipping tea and picking at leftovers.

"So," Livvy asked when Martin came back in. "He's really Loki? The one who caused all that trouble in New York?"

"You figured that out on GENIE, didn't you?" Martin asked as he sat down.

"I suspected, yes. But... Martin, he seems so... I don't know." Livvy picked up her tea cup and took a sip. "How dangerous is he, on a scale of one to Jim?"

Martin snorted, and watched Natasha shake her head. "Darling," he said. "Compared to the Loki that led the Chitauri into New York, Jim is about as dangerous as the girls in Vee's Girl Guide troop."

Livvy's eyes widened, and Martin saw them dart up, in the direction of the guest room. "Oh, dear."

"Here's the thing, though," John said, setting his scanner on the table. "About five minutes after you called, General Fury called me. Then the courier arrived with this. It's loaded with all the biological information on the Asgardians, and on Loki in particular. They scanned him when he was in custody." John looked down at the scanner, then pushed it across to Natasha. "I assume you know how to read one of these?"

"You assume rightly." Natasha picked it up. She looked down at it, then back at John. "That's--"

"Completely, one hundred percent accurate. And I don't understand it. I ran the scans three times."

"Uncle John, what are we missing?" Livvy asked.

"The fact that the man who is currently asleep in your guest room is as human as I am. There is nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , that matches the scans taken from him four years ago, except for minor things like fingerprints and retinal patterns. So... it is Loki, but it isn't. And I don't know how that could happen."

"I do," Natasha said. She handed the scanner to John and leaned back in her chair. "When Thor came to earth the first time, he was human. He'd gotten in trouble at home, and he was being punished. Martin, didn't Jane tell you about that? It was how they met."

"She didn't tell me that Thor was human when they met," Martin said. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long breath. Then he looked at the scanner. "What else did that tell you?"

"That he's healing at a ridiculous rate," John answered. "I'm not surprised that he's exhausted. That arm? It was broken when I scanned him in here."

"Half-healed break of the radius, you said."

"As of the point when he passed out, the bone was healed. How badly was he hurt, when you found him?"

"When he fell into my plane, you mean?" Martin frowned, thinking back. "I didn't examine him too closely. Frankly, I wouldn't know what to do for him."

"His wrists were very bad, Uncle," Livvy supplied. "And his face was all bruised.

"They're not anymore. The wrists are still tender, but nowhere near as bad as you described. And the bruises are gone." John rested his hands on the table and shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know how his metabolism can support this kind of healing and not kill him right off."

"There's something else," Martin added. "Natasha, he's supposed to be some kind of mage, isn't he?"

"From what Thor says, yes. Why?"

"Because he doesn't have a magical signature." Martin smiled as Natasha shook her head. "Apparently, I missed this when I gave you Magic one-oh-one. Mages have distinctive magical signatures. They're like fingerprints. I'd expect Loki to have one, and he doesn't. I'll have to check, but I'm almost certain that he doesn't have a drop of magic." Martin picked up his tea, and nearly dropped it when one of his shields went off. "Oh. Forgot I'd put that one there."

"Martin?" Livvy asked.

"I think your patient is awake, John. He's coming downstairs. And I forgot that the shield I set when Vee started getting out of bed and coming down to play in the family room is still active."

A few minutes later, there was a soft tapping at the kitchen door. It opened, and Loki came inside. "I couldn't sleep," he said. "I woke up and was wondering if I could have something.." his voice trailed off, and Martin saw him looking at Natasha. "And I'm intruding."

"No, you're not." Martin rose and went over to him. "Come and sit. John, can he have anything else? More milk?

"What about this?" Natasha asked, picking up the container of egg drop soup that Violet had ignored at dinner. "It's chicken broth and eggs. Would that be too much?"

John frowned, then looked at Loki, who had taken Martin's place at the table. "I don't know if that would be wise--"

"I'm not saying a word."

"And we all noticed you not doing it, Natasha." Martin pulled another chair over and picked up the container. "This, by the by, is Natasha. She's a friend, usually, and a pain in the arse most of the time. Natasha, my cousin Luke."

Natasha nodded once, and Loki smiled slightly. Then he looked at John. "I'd like to try it."

"All right. Small sips, and slowly."

"Want me to reheat it?" Livvy asked.

"No, thank you." Loki took the container from Martin, opened the lid, and sipped the soup right from the container.

"We have a spoon, you know," Natasha pointed out.

"Let him be, Natasha," John said. "All right. Enough. Let's see if it stays down. More tea?"

"Thank you," Loki said. He took the mug from John and alternated sips between tea and soup. "Thank you," he repeated. "For everything."

"Luke," Natasha said, leaning forward in her chair. "What can you tell us? Who did this to you?"

Loki stared at her for a moment, then looked around the table. "Were you all talking about me?"

"Trying to figure things out," John said, his voice gentle. "Where you came from. Who hurt you. How do we protect you, when we don't know what we're protecting you from."

Loki frowned slightly. "They weren't like us," he said after a moment. "Their skin was gray, and they had yellow eyes. No nose. Sharp teeth. And claws--"

"Chitauri," Natasha murmured.

Loki's eyes went very wide, and he almost dropped the container of soup. "You know who they are?" he demanded.

"We know of them. We fought them once, Natasha and I," Martin said. "Well, that raises even more questions. Why would they want you?"

"They never asked me questions. Never seemed to want to know anything. Not that I could have told them anything." Loki shrugged and finished the soup. "That was very good." He looked at John, with a hopeful expression. "Is there more?"

"More?" John repeated. He picked up the scanner and held it toward Loki, looking at the small screen. One eyebrow arched.

"Is that a good look or a bad look?" Martin asked.

"That's a 'make this man some toast' look," John said. "We're still going to take it slowly, Luke. Toast for now. More tea. Tomorrow maybe an egg or two. No five-course meals until I say so."

Loki grinned. "Yes, sir. When can I have that sagetti?"

"Talk to me in two days."


	6. Chapter 6

 It was odd, Martin thought, to see Natasha slowly warming up to Loki. She questioned him, gently, about what he did remember, stopping when one of her questions made him lose his voice entirely, able only to shake his head to indicate that he could not answer. John immediately called a stop to the questioning, on the grounds that he didn't want his patient to lose what little he'd eaten.

They moved from the kitchen up to the family room, and Martin took a moment to pull Loki off to one side. "You're not all right."

"No," Loki answered. "No, I'm not. I... there are things I wish I couldn't remember. And everything else that I wish I could."

"Oddly enough, I understand that. Do you want to go back to bed?"

Loki smiled weakly. "I doubt I could sleep. Not after that."

"All right then," Martin said. "Come and sit with us until you feel better."

Loki looked thoughtful, then nodded. He followed Martin back up the stairs and into the family room. Martin sat down in his usual chair. To his shock, Loki sat on the floor at his feet, his shoulder pressing against Martin's leg.

"What are you doing?"

Loki looked up. "You don't mind, I hope?" he asked. "I feel better."

"No, it's fine," Martin answered. He had to restrain himself -- there was a strong urge to pet Loki's hair.

"So, have you seen Tony?" Natasha asked. "He's in London this week."

"Is he?" Martin forced his attention away from the warmth pressing against his leg. "I haven't spoken to him."

Natasha arched an eyebrow. "Lovers spat?"

"You could say that. We ended it about three months ago." Martin shrugged slightly. "It's all right, really. We're still friends. It's just... well, have you noticed that Tony can be more than a little selfish? And I don't mean that he won't give you the shirt off his back. He will. But if he doesn't want to do something, he will not do it."

"I hadn't noticed," Natasha answered with a straight face.

"Yes, well, he had these ideas of what would be a good way to pass the time while I was on leave. And they all involved spending time with him." Martin leaned back in his chair. "I tried to explain that I'd promised this time to Liv, that I wanted to have a quiet year in the country, and that he was welcome to visit. And that I was not going to go off... gallivanting around the globe with him while my wife and daughter stayed home."

"Let me guess. He told you that you were being selfish?" John asked.

"And I lost my temper. Full on screaming row, right here in the dining room. He did apologize, but... he doesn't have children. He can't understand--"

"Martin? Should I leave?"

Martin looked down in surprise at the interruption. "Leave? No, I've no problem with you hearing this."

Loki looked up, turning slightly to face him. "No, I mean leave. Go someplace else. You said they might be looking for me. If I stay, I will be putting your family in danger." He looked over at Livvy and smiled shyly. "You have a beautiful wife. A wonderful little girl. And babies, soon. You should protect them. Not me."

"Luke, I--"

"I can take him back with me," Natasha offered. "It's definitely more secure."

"Yes, but..." Martin frowned, then closed his eyes. "No. No, it doesn't feel right."

"But your family!" Loki insisted.

"Martin, maybe you should listen to him," John added.

"No!" Martin snapped. "Look, something is telling me he has to stay here. And... look, there's a way to find out. I'll get out my cards. Will that satisfy you lot?" He looked around. John nodded without any hesitation. Natasha took a moment longer.

"Cards?"

"Tarot cards. Divination. I'll show you." Martin got up and went to a cabinet in the corner, taking out a wooden box. He brought it over to the coffee table and went to his knees, clearing books and puzzles from the table. He opened the box, taking out a folded silk cloth that he spread out on the table. Then he took out more silk, unwrapping it to reveal a deck of cards. He looked at them for a moment, then shuffled through them and took one out. He set it deliberately at the center of the table.

"That's you," he said to Loki. "The Fool. Innocence... and potential."

"Should I be insulted that you're calling me a fool?" Loki asked with a grin.

"No. Here." Martin handed the cards to Natasha. "Shuffle. Concentrate on what would happen if you take Luke with you."

Natasha looked skeptical, but she shuffled the cards as instructed. Then she handed them back and Martin dealt the Celtic Cross. He looked around, then nodded and turned over the first card.

"This is the question at hand. The Chariot, reversed. Since we're asking about travel, this is a very appropriate card. But reversed, it means a lack of control. Unwilling travel." He glanced at Loki. "You don't want to go, but you think you have to." He didn't wait for Loki to answer, turning over the next card. "Crossing you. Forces working against you. Judgment, also reversed. Balancing of the scales." The next card, the one at the top of the cross. "This is what you want. The Star, meaning fulfillment and understanding. Natasha, how did you manage to get Luke's wishes in here?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Keep going."

Martin nodded and turned over the bottommost card. "The Tower. This is the foundation, where everything comes from. It means... well, this isn't a good card. It means destruction or traumatic change." He licked his lips and reached for the left hand card, feeling the prickling along his spine that told him this was a true reading. "All right. The past. Justice, reversed. Unfair treatment or abuse. Well, I think we all know how true that one is." He stopped and looked at Loki. "I... usually don't keep on when there are more than three reversals. That usually means a bad question. But this is feeling like one of the strongest readings I've ever done. So... your call."

"Keep going," Loki's voice was harsh as a crow's call. He got off the floor and moved to the couch, sitting next to Natasha. She didn't even budge.

"All right." Martin turned over the next card in the sequence. "This is the future. The Hermit. Means awareness. You'll learn."

"That's good, isn't it?" Loki asked.

"We're not done yet," Martin answered. He turned over the card at the base of the staff. "This answers the question. The Wheel of Fortune. And... that's not really an answer."

"Why not?" John asked.

"Because all it says is that things will end. It doesn't indicate good or bad. Just... things happen." Martin turned the next one, and found himself looking at his own card. "Well, seems we are fated after all. Your strength comes from the Magician. That would be me."

"Two cards left, Flyboy."

"Right. This one describes you, Luke," Martin said as he turned over the second to last card. He frowned. "The Emperor, reversed. Weakness. Immaturity. Loss of authority and influence. But... I'm getting the feeling here that the Wheel is pointing to change in that, too." Martin touched the last card. It felt oddly warm. "All right. This is the conclusion. It tells us what will happen if you leave with Natasha." He turned over the card, and had just enough time to see Death, reversed before the cards burst into flames. He yelped and fell backwards, then threw his hand out and enveloped the table in a shield that should have snuffed the flames out immediately.

They continued to burn.

He looked around, meeting wide, shocked eyes from everyone else in the room. Then he cleared his throat. "Death, reversed. Catastrophic failure."

 


	7. Chapter 7

 Martin got up slowly, watching as the cards continued to burn. The silk cloth and table, however, both appeared to be untouched.

"Well, it appears we have a new addition to the family," Livvy said. She got out of her chair and moved to Martin's side. "Sir Darling, could you do another reading?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea," Martin answered. "Why?"

"I want to know what the conclusion would be if you asked the other question. What would happen if Luke stayed."

Martin shook his head. "Doesn't matter. He's staying. And I can't, even if I wanted to. I don't have another consecrated deck. Willow gave me that one..." he stopped as the phone rang.

"Let me guess..." John started. Martin grinned as he picked up the phone.

"You don't have to." He touched the talk button and raised the phone. "Hello, Willow. Sorry about that."

" _Martin, what the hell was that?_ "

"A very interesting tarot reading, and if you get a chance, would you kindly put together another deck for me? The one you gave me is... well, not quite in ashes, but it will be when the flames go out."

" _Flames? Martin, what happened?_ "

"Long story, Will. I'll fill you in on everything when I see you. You... might want to come a few days early."

" _If something is happening that has you throwing magic around like that, then_ _I'll be there tomorrow._ "

"No, not tomorrow. It's snowing like mad here. Once the weather breaks. And we'll be in Sussex, then."

" _Fine. I'll see you in Sussex. But I want to know what happened, so I know what to bring. It felt like the Hellmouth opening, even this far away._ "

The line went dead, and Martin set the phone down. "Willow will be meeting us in Sussex a bit early."

"That might not be the worst idea," John said. "One powerful mage is a good thing--"

"But two is better. Especially two who are used to working together," Martin finished. "Now, I don't know about you, but I need a drink. John?"

"No. I should get home before Sherlock and Jim blow something up."

"Were they working with explosives again?" Livvy asked.

"No, but that doesn't stop them," John answered as he stood up. "We had to paint the kitchen ceiling again last week. Fourth time this year. I'm still not sure how they got the coffee to explode. And I'm afraid one of them will explain it to me if I ask. I'll be back tomorrow to check on Luke."

"All right. Want me to walk you out?" Livvy asked.

"No, I know the way. You rest. You'll be busy enough soon." John smiled and left, and Livvy held her hand out to Loki.

"Come on. We both need some sleep."

Loki looked shocked. "I'm not a child," he protested.

"I wasn't offering to tuck you in," Livvy answered with a smile. "Unless you want me to, and you ask very nicely. Come on. Morning comes early around here. Vee is a lark."

He looked at Martin. "What does that mean?"

"That means she's up at dawn. And she's not quiet," Martin supplied. "Go on. You won't miss anything, and you do need the sleep."

Loki looked almost petulant for a moment, then sighed and got up. He turned towards Natasha and nodded. "It was nice to meet you. You'll be here tomorrow?"

"At least for breakfast," Natasha answered pleasantly.

"I'll see you in the morning, then. Good night." He followed Livvy out of the room, and Martin went to the bar in the corner without saying anything. He studied the bottles for a moment, then picked up a decanter and poured two glasses before bringing one back to Natasha. She took a sip and looked at the door.

"All right. I'm now officially torn. I met him, before New York. Met him, talked with him, matched wits with him. He was..." she sniffed and shook her head, took a sip of her drink. "He murdered a friend of mine. And..."

"And you like him."

She started laughing. "I like the little bastard! He's... he reminds me of a puppy."

"One who's been kicked. A lot," Martin said. He leaned back in his chair and studied his glass. "One who isn't sure if he's found his forever home, or if he's going to be kicked again. Caval was like that."

"So were you." John came back into the study. He smiled slightly at them. "It's snowing too hard. There's no getting home tonight. I sent a text, and was ordered to stay put. So, that drink?"

"Help yourself." Martin waved towards the bar. "You know where the whiskey is. And you and the rest of the Holmes had a lot to do with that."

Natasha looked oddly at him. "You'll explain that?"

Martin looked thoughtful then shook his head. "No, no, I don't think so. Ancient history. Let it go."

"All right. I missed something. Who or what is Caval?"

Martin grinned. "You haven't been to the house in Sussex for a while. Or been around when he's come with me to the helicarrier. Caval is my dog. My familiar, I suppose. He's not quite a year old, and he's usually right here." He pointed at a spot next to his chair. "But he stayed down in Sussex when we came up to help Mycroft."

"Mycroft and Sherlock had dogs when they were growing up," John added as he sat down with his own drink. "So for Violet's last birthday, Sherlock decided that it was time for her to have a dog of her own. He found the son of the man who his mother used to get their dogs from, and we all went out there to look at puppies."

"And I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched," Martin picked up the narrative. "Just... someone staring at me. I went looking, and found this ragged little waif of a puppy, hiding under a shed. Best we can tell is he's part Bull Terrier, part every other dog in the county. His dam ran off while she was in heat, and they didn't find her for weeks." Martin stopped and took another drink. "The breeder told us he drowned the litter. But Caval survived, and he kept on surviving. Then I found him. Or he found me."

"Like Loki," Natasha murmured.

"Like Loki." Martin nodded. "Things happen, Natasha. Things happen for a reason. Loki could have gone anywhere. But he came to me. Something is happening, and he's at the heart of it." He leaned forward and looked at the ashes that once had been cards. "The Emperor, reversed. Loss of power, but... there's also growth there. The Emperor is the quintessential leader."

"Good leader or despot?" Natasha asked.

"Nurturing leader. The Emperor is the universal father."

Natasha went quiet, sipping her drink. When she'd drained the glass, she set it down and sighed. "And the cards said that he'll be that?"

"I think so, yes," Martin answered. "But he has to stay here. With me."

"That's how I read it,"" John added. "I'm not as good at it as you are, but it was pretty clear."

Natasha reached out and ran her finger through the ashes on the silk cloth. "Catastrophic failure. All right. I'm convinced. I'll tell Fury. John, do you want me to take the scanner back with me?"

"I'll give it to you tomorrow."

Natasha nodded. Then she looked at Martin. "You've put yourself in the corner, Flyboy. Or hadn't you realized?"

"What have I done?" Martin asked.

"You ask every one of the Avengers to your place for Christmas. Every year. And this year, quite possibly the only one who won't show up is Thor, since no one has heard from him for months." Natasha nodded towards the door. "How are you going to explain him? We all know him on sight!"

Martin grinned. "I can answer that, actually."

"Really? Do tell."

"I'm hiding behind General Fury. And you."


	8. Chapter 8

 The conversation lulled, and they separated soon after. Martin showed Natasha to her room, saw John off to his, then went off to his own rest. He washed up, pulled on his pyjama pants and slipped into bed, curling up next to Livvy, already deeply-asleep. She made a soft, contented sound as he put his arm over her, and he sighed and cuddled close.

Only to be jerked violently out of a deep sleep when every magical alert in the house went off, all at once. He was out of bed before he was fully awake, and out the door before he realized that his sword was in his hand. Once in the hall, he could hear what had set off the alarms.

Loki was screaming.

He took the stairs two at a time, sending a probe on ahead. No one else in the house. Nothing in the street outside. What the actual _fuck_?

He almost ran Natasha down as he came onto the landing. He pulled back, noticing the gun in her hand.

"John's with Violet," she said. "What happened? I didn't hear anything until the screaming started."

"No intruders I can sense," Martin answered. He shoved Loki's door opened and turned on the lights. No one but Loki, tossing in the middle of the bed. As the lights came on, Martin saw Loki's body arch, and he howled again.

"Nightmares?" Natasha gasped.

"We should have expected that," Martin answered. He sent his sword away and went to the bed. "Luke! Wake up!" At the sound of his voice, Loki shuddered and whimpered, but didn't wake. Martin frowned and looked at Natasha, who shook her head. "Right," Martin muttered. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently shook Loki. "Wake up, Luke!"

The reaction was startling -- Loki screamed again, twisting away from Martin and lashing out; Martin caught the flailing hand and pulled, shaking Loki hard. "Loki!"

Loki jerked, gasping, and his eyes flew open. He looked around wildly, and Martin saw when recognition set in. Then, without warning, he had an armful of shaking, sweat-soaked Asgardian.

"It's all right," he said softly, had hand resting on Loki's back. "Luke, you're safe. It was only a nightmare. You were dreaming."

Loki shook his head, shuddered once more, then sat up. He blinked, looking around, then slumped, dragging his sweat-damp hair out of his eyes. " _Only_ a nightmare?" he repeated.

"It's all right," Martin repeated. "You're safe here."

"Martin?" Livvy called from the door. "Is Luke all right?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "Yes, I... I will be. Thank you."

Livvy came into the room, and Martin saw she was carrying his bathrobe. All at once, he realized that he was naked from the waist up, and that he was cold. "Thank you, love," he said, standing up and taking it from her. He put it on, belted it closed and turned back to the bed to see Loki watching him.

"Everyone all right?" John asked, coming inside. "Nightmare?"

"Yes." Loki sat still as John came over and took his wrist, studying his watch for a moment. He nodded, then looked Loki in the eyes.

"Just a fright. Pretty nasty one, from the sound of it, but no harm done. You'll want to wash up, I expect. And this bed is soaked."

"We can change the sheets," Livvy offered.

"I'm not going back to sleep," Loki said. "So no need to trouble yourself."

Martin shook his head. "You need the sleep, and the sheets need changing," he said firmly. "So go wash up. We'll get this taken care of. Then I can help you to sleep, if you want."

To his surprise, Loki blushed. He scrambled from the bed and fled into the bathroom. Behind him, Martin heard Natasha snickering. It took him a moment to realize why.

"Oh. I didn't mean--"

"We know," John said. "You'll have to explain."

"Let's get the sheets changed first."

Livvy went and fetched fresh pyjamas and sheets, then went to check on Violet while John and Martin changed the bed. They were laying out the blankets when Loki came out of the bathroom.

"There you are," John said. "I was starting too think you'd gotten lost."

"No," Loki answered. "I... was washing up. I'm sorry that I woke you all."

"It's all right, Luke," Martin said. "Now, let me explain what I was offering. Because it wasn't what you were thinking." He slid his hands into his robe pockets. "I was offering a spell, actually. So that you could sleep without dreaming."

"You'd put a spell on me?"

"You need to rest," Martin answered. He grinned. "From the sounds of it, you're not planning on going back to sleep tonight, are you?" Loki went pale, and shook his head.

"I... I was going to find something to read," he admitted.

"You need to rest, Luke," Martin repeated. "But I won't do it without your permission."

"Papa?"

Martin turned, saw Livvy and Violet standing in the doorway. Violet had her hands behind her back. "Vee?"

"Is Mister Luke all right?" she asked.

"I.. I'm fine," Loki answered. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Violet."

"Mama says you had a bad dream," Violet said, coming into the room. She walked past Martin, and he saw what she had hidden behind her back. He glanced at Livvy, who nodded.

"I did," Loki said. Slowly, he went to one knee, putting himself on Violet's level. "I've seen... some very bad things--"

"I know," Violet interrupted. "And I asked Mama, and she said I might. So I wanted to give you this. To help with the bad dreams." She pulled from behind her back a battered, much-loved stuffed dog. "His name is Dog, and he's been mine since forever. But you need him now. He'll keep the dreams away."

Loki just stared at her for a moment, then reached out. He stopped before he touched Dog. "This is your own dog?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"And... you want to give him to me?" He looked up at Martin, then at Livvy before looking back at Violet. "You're certain about this?"

"It was her idea," Livvy answered.

"I..." Loki stopped. He looked down for a moment, then back up at Violet as he took the dog from her. "Thank you."

Violet nodded solemnly. "You're welcome. You have to treat him nice, okay?"

"I promise," Loki answered, just as solemnly.

"Okay. Gnite!" She darted in, kissed Loki on the cheek, then turned and left the room. Loki sat down on the floor and studied the stuffed dog for a long moment. His expression was unreadable when he looked up.

"I'd like that spell, I think."

#

Martin closed the door and looked around, then shook his head. "He won't wake up until morning," he said. "Sorry. I should have thought--"

"You're not the only one who should have thought of it," John said. "Sherlock's nightmares after the kidnapping were almost as bad. And not all that long ago."

"Martin, you called him by his name," Natasha said, her voice low. "You called him Loki, right before he woke up."

Martin frowned, then his eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, no." He looked over his shoulder at the door. "Do you think he heard?"

"I don't know," Natasha answered. "I don't think so."

"Even if he did, he might not remember it. He wasn't fully awake until after," John said. "Come on. Let's get some sleep. We'll worry about tomorrow when the sun comes up."

Martin nodded and put his arm around Livvy's shoulders, taking her back down to their bedroom. In bed, he settled onto his back as Livvy cuddled up next to him.

"It was really Vee's idea?" he asked.

"Yes. And when I told her that Luke had a bad dream. She knew already. She says he dreams loud."

Martin groaned, "Oh, God."

"What she described was indistinct, though. Darkness and fear, mostly." Livvy sighed and rubbed her cheek on Martin's shoulder. "I think she's all right. But I'll speak to the Professor tomorrow."

"He probably already knows. You know what a close eye he keeps on Vee."

Livvy hummed softly, then went silent. After a long moment, she said, "He's very sweet."

Martin sniffed. "I suppose."

"And he has lovely eyes."

"Olivia..."

"Not me, idiot! Not when I look like a Berkshire sow!"

"You do not look like a Berkshire sow!" Martin protested. He grinned in the dark. "More of a Cumberland, actually."

"Martin!" Livvy burst out giggling. "I asked for that, didn't I?"

"A bit, yes."

"All right. But still..."

"He's under my protection, Liv. It doesn't... it wouldn't be proper."

"And if he makes the first move?" Livvy asked.

Martin couldn't think of an answer.


	9. Chapter 9

 It was the sound of Violet's laughter that woke Martin the next morning. Not entirely unusual, but the accompanying bass growl was, as was the sound of someone with a much heavier footstep going down the stairs.

"Sounds like Vee has a new playmate," Livvy murmured. "Should we go check on the children?"

"And make breakfast, I suppose." Martin kissed Livvy, then rolled out of bed and grabbed his bathrobe. As he walked out into the hall, he saw John coming down the stairs, yawning. "Good morning, John."

"Morning." John yawned again, then laughed as another shriek of laughter came up the stairs. "Should I go mind the pair of them?"

"I'll walk down with you. Then I'll make breakfast." Martin headed down the stairs, and into the family room, glad that he'd remembered to clean up the remains of the cards before bed. The growls and laughter had stopped, and he came into the room to find Loki sitting on the floor, a large book in his lap, reading aloud. Vee was curled up next to him, her cheek pressed against his arm, looking at the pictures. As Martin came in, Loki stopped and looked up.

"Good morning," he said. "We didn't wake you, did we?"

"Don't worry. I'd rather wake up to laughter than to an alarm clock. She can read, you know."

"Papa! I wanted him to read it. He doesn't know Pooh!" Vee protested. "And he's got a lovely voice."

"Thank you," Loki said. His voice was serious, but he was clearly trying not to smile. "Should I continue?"

"Please?" Violet looked up at Martin. "Papa, may we?"

Martin smiled. "Go on. But you have to stop when breakfast is ready."

"Yay!" Violet hugged Loki's arm, then pointed. "You were there."

"All right." He looked down and started reading:

“ _Later on, when they had all said “Good-bye” and “Thank-you” to Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening, and for a long time they were silent._

“ _When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what's the first thing you say to yourself?”_

“ _What's for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”_

“ _I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting to-day?” said Piglet._

_Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It's the same thing,” he said._ ”

Martin turned away, and nearly bumped into Natasha. She had an odd look on her face, and followed him down to the kitchen without a word. She sat down and watched as Martin made coffee and started cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Winnie the Pooh?" she said as Martin pushed a coffee cup across the table towards her.

"Her favorite. She can probably recite all of the stories by heart. And the poetry." Martin stopped with his own cup halfway to his mouth. "That's going to be amusing."

"What is?"

"Well, I always get roped into reading ' _King John's Christmas_ ' on Christmas Eve, before she goes to bed. I'm willing to bet that I won't be reading it this year, though. Do you know it?"

Natasha shook her head. "I don't know much about children's literature. Not in English."

"Right. Well, it starts " _King John was not a good man, he had his little ways. And sometimes no one spoke to him For days and days and days. And men who came across him, When walking in the town, Gave him a supercilious stare, Or passed with noses in the air — And bad King John stood dumbly there, Blushing beneath his crown._ " And it continues on, and ends with King John thinking he's been forgiven by Father Christmas."

Natasha nodded as she took a sip of coffee. "Nice little morality story."

"Yes, but here's the thing. Do you know where the image of Father Christmas comes from?"

"No."

"It's Norse." Martin smiled over his coffee cup as Natasha's eyes widened. "One of the faces of the All-Father, in fact. His role as Lord of the Yule."

Natasha shook her head and sipped her coffee. "It's far too early for comparative mythology."

"I know. It's funny, really. Thinking about the fact that I've met two of the gods I've studied about, and that one of them is currently reading Milne to my daughter." He shook his head and put two more eggs into a pot of water. "Sometimes I wonder if I didn't go mad, and I've just been hallucinating all this."

"No one has that good of an imagination," John said, coming into the kitchen. He was fully dressed. "Coffee?"

Martin poured and passed the cup over. "Scrambled eggs? Or fried?"

"Just toast, thanks. I need to get home. Sherlock left a text. There's a case on." He took a long drink, then passed the scanner to Natasha. "I checked on my patient. If I hadn't seen him myself last night, I'd never believe he was that badly injured. He is, as far as I can tell, perfectly healthy."

"Is that normal for an Asgardian?" Martin asked, passing a plate of toast to John.

"No idea," Natasha answered. "But... after the fighting in New York, Thor did say something about getting stabbed. A gut-shot."

"That would have put him down for a good long while," John mused. "If he was human."

"But it didn't," Martin said. "He was there throughout. He was still standing at the end."

"And we all went out to get something to eat afterward," Natasha added. "If he hadn't told me he was hurt, I'd never have known."

"So they heal faster. Let him eat, Martin. As much as he wants. He's got to fuel that metabolism. I might be imagining it, but I think he looks thinner than he did yesterday."

"You're right," Natasha said. "After the battle, we were all exhausted, picking at our food. All of us but Thor. He ate like he'd never seen food before."

Martin nodded slowly. "Right. I'll make more eggs. So, no issues with us leaving for Sussex, then?"

John shook his head. "None."

Martin took the pot of water off the stove and used a spoon to fish out the eggs, putting them into a pair of egg cups. He expertly cracked off the tops, then set the cups down at Violet's place, along with a plate of toast fingers. Then he closed his eyes for a moment and listened, hearing the sound of someone running down the stairs.

"Don't run!" he shouted, hearing distantly the sound of Livvy's voice saying the same thing. Grinning, he turned back to the stove. "Natasha, fried or scrambled?"

"However you're making them. Did you just call Violet telepathically?"

"It saves having to shout." Martin poured the eggs into a pan to cook. "Would you fetch the juice out of the refrigerator? And the cups are behind you in that second cabinet."

Violet came into the kitchen and climbed into her seat. "Yummy! Eggs and soldiers!" Martin smiled at her, then looked up as Loki and Livvy came in. Livvy was leaning on Loki's arm.

"Liv?"

"I'm fine," she hurried assured him. "One of our rugby players threw me off balance, he kicked me that hard. And Luke insisted, so that I didn't fall down the stairs."

"You didn't take the lift?" John asked. He got up and offered Livvy his seat.

"No. My leg isn't bothering me, and I need the exercise. I just wasn't expecting a scrum. Thank you, Luke." She smiled at him as she sat down. "What do we have, dear?"

"Eggs in a moment. Toast, and more to come. Tea for you if this kettle will ever boil. And beans if anyone wants them -- I can open a tin."

"No bacon?" Natasha asked. "I thought a full English breakfast had bacon."

"The smell turns my stomach," Livvy said apologetically. "Much to my regret."

"Oh, sorry." Natasha picked up a piece of toast and took a bite. She looked up and waved one hand to the empty chair across from her. "Sit down, Luke. Eat."

"I can eat?" he asked, looking at John.

"Yes," John answered. "Whatever you like. But not too fast, though. Don't make yourself sick."

Loki sat down and picked up a piece of toast. He ate it while watching Violet as she dipped her pieces of toast into her egg. "What are you eating?"

"Egg and soldiers," Violet answered. "Have you ever had them?"

"No, I don't think so." Loki frowned slightly, looking distant. "I... apples."

"Apples?" John asked.

"I remember apples. Eating apples." Loki sat straight up. "Is... that's good, isn't it?"

"I'd say so. But don't rush it, Luke." John smiled. "You'll get it back. Don't worry."

"Martin, do we have any apples?" Livvy asked.

"Bowl in the refrigerator, I think."

Natasha got up and went to the refrigerator, opening it up and taking out an apple. She tossed it toward Loki, who looked startled as he snatched it out of the air. He stared at it, then started giggling.

"Nice catch," Natasha said as she came back to her chair.

"Good throw," Loki replied. He set the apple down on the table and looked at it. "It's... not right. But thank you."

"Not right?" Livvy asked.

"I'm not sure." He shrugged and picked the apple up once more, taking a bite.

"All right. I need to run. There's a case. We'll see you out in Sussex." John leaned down and kissed Livvy's cheek, then went and kissed Violet. He waved at the others and left the kitchen.

"What did he mean, a case?" Loki asked.

"His husband, my uncle Sherlock, is a consulting detective," Livvy said, leaning back in her chair as Martin came around and started serving the eggs. "They help the Met -- the police -- when there's something that they can't figure out. Did he say what, Martin?"

"I don't think he knew," Martin answered, putting the empty pan back on the stove and sitting down. "Do we need more toast?"

"I think so, yes."

"Right. I'll make more. John said that we could leave, if we wanted, so we stop at the shops, pick up some things for Luke, then head down to Sussex?"

#

Martin sat and finished his second cup of coffee and watched as Loki finally slowed down. Once Martin had put the bowl of eggs on the table, Loki had started eating. And eating. Martin had gotten up twice -- once to make more toast, and again to open a tin of beans and make more eggs. The serving bowls were empty, now, and Loki finished the last piece of toast, looked down at his plate for a moment, then sighed.

"Thank you," he said, looking up. First the first time, he noticed that everyone was watching him. His eyes widened. "I..."

"That was amazing!" Vee crowed. "Do you eat like that _all_ the time?"

"That was impressive," Natasha added.

"It's official. You're now the coolest person in the house," Livvy said quietly. "Was that enough?"

Loki licked his top lip and looked down at his plate. "I... yes, I'm finished."

"Luke, no one is making fun of you," Martin said. "And please, don't say you're done just because you're uncomfortable. You need to eat."

"No, I really am finished."

"If you are, then you can help with the washing up." Martin stood up and started collecting dirty plates and cups. "Then we'll see what we can find out of my closet for you to wear. Natasha, before you leave, I'll get a report ready."

"Good plan. What can I do to help?"

"Ah... mind Violet while Liv gets a shower? Get her dressed?" He looked at Violet. "Upstairs with you, poppet. Get washed up and be ready for Aunt Tasha." Violet ran out of the room, and Natasha watched her go.

"You're sure?" she asked as she stood up. "That's not very much."

"You say that now."

#

Martin set Loki to rinsing plates while he cleared the table and put away the butter and jam.

"Martin?"

"Hm?"

"You know who I am, don't you?"

Martin turned to look at Loki, who hadn't turned away from his task. So he took a moment to finish putting things away, then went over to the sink and leaned against the counter. Loki looked at him.

"Yes. I do know," Martin said quietly.

"I thought so. You called me something different last night when you woke me. But I don't remember what it was." Loki met his eyes. "Were you going to tell me?"

"Not yet," Martin admitted. "Not until you were stronger. Remember, last night, you were damned close to dying."

"And now I'm not." Loki looked back down at the dishes, then turned off the water and turned to face Martin. "What am I? _Who_ am I?"

"For right now? You're Luke Huggett," Martin said. He held up one hand to stop Loki's protest. "Luke, listen to me. I promise you, I will tell you everything. As soon as we're certain that it's safe and you're strong enough to handle that knowledge."

Loki frowned. "Why would it not be safe for me to know?"

Martin shook his head. "How exactly am I supposed to answer that, given that I don't know why they had you in the first place? Or how you got away? Or how they even got their hands... claws... how they managed to capture you? I don't have enough data, Luke."

Loki looked at him again, then back down at the sink. "Answer this, then. If I knew... would it put your family in danger?"

Martin sighed. "I don't know. Maybe."

"And sending me away would be even worse." Loki shook his head and started the water running once more. "Martin--"

"I will tell you everything, Luke," Martin said firmly, resting one hand on Loki's shoulder. "Everything. I promise. All I ask is a little patience."

Loki looked up and smiled slightly. "I can be patient."

"Thank you. Now, let's get this going. Then we'll find something for you to wear."


	10. Chapter 10

 While Loki was washing up and dressing, Martin quickly dictated a report to Fury, burning the file onto a micro-disc that he gave to Natasha before going in to get himself dressed. He was the last one ready, coming down to the family room to find everyone else waiting for him.

"All right. It's a long drive, and promises to be longer with the snow on the ground. Are we ready? Everything that needs to go with us is packed up?"

"I think so," Livvy answered. "Edmund took most things back yesterday."

"Right. Natasha, can we give you a lift anywhere?"

"I've already called for a ride," Natasha said. The doorbell rang, and she grinned. "And there he is."

"He?" Martin frowned, then recognized the familiar aura outside the door. "You called Clint?"

"He was in the area. And I'll probably need more time with him than anyone else. Better to start now."

"Right... of course." Martin scowled slightly, dragging his fingers through his hair, then let out a short sniff. "Right. I'll walk you down." He left the room, heard Natasha behind him and said without turning. "You get to keep him from blowing things up, Natasha. Because how am I not supposed to invite him in? It's freezing out there!"

"I gave him a quick briefing. He doesn't believe me, but he promised to behave himself."

Martin sniffed again. "I want to have a house when you two leave."

"I promise, Martin."

Martin opened the door and grinned despite his worry. Clint, as usual, wasn't wearing a coat -- nothing that would interfere with his draw, he said. "Don't you ever listen to the weather reports?" he asked. "Get inside before you freeze."

"I wasn't expecting it to be this cold. Isn't this early for snow?" he asked as he came inside.

"A bit. But it isn't long until Christmas. I can put the kettle on, if that will help you thaw out?"

Clint shook his head. "Nah. I'll just have to go back out into it when--" he stopped, looking past Martin at the stairs. Martin turned, and saw Loki helping Livvy downstairs.

"Don't push, Violet," he was saying. "We're all going the same way."

"But you're slow!"

"Violet, don't push," Martin called out. "Liv?"

"I'm fine," Livvy answered as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Someone is being overprotective."

"No, overprotective would be carrying you down the stairs," Loki protested, smiling. "I didn't want a repeat of before."

Livvy gave an overly-dramatic sigh, and Loki laughed. "All right," she said. "I know when I'm outnumbered. Thank you."

"You have got to be joking," Clint said, turning towards Martin. "You've lost--"

"Clint!"

Even Martin jumped at the steel in Livvy's voice. She smiled sweetly into the silence, turned to Loki, and said something in French, something that Martin recognized as a fairly generic greeting. But Loki looked blankly at her.

"I'm sorry?"

She shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing. Clint, may I have a word? Or six?" She took Clint's arm, looked at him, then led him off into the dining room, closing the door behind them. Martin moved closer for a moment, close enough to hear muted conversation. No one was shouting in any language. A plus. He turned back to see that Loki had taken a seat on the steps. Violet sat next to him, her head resting against his arm.

"He knows me," Loki said softly. "And he doesn't like me. Why? What did I do?"

Martin looked at Natasha, who rolled her eyes.

"You called him," Martin said. The unspoken " _you broke it, you fix it._ " was clear.

"Yes," Natasha said. "Yes, he knows you."

Loki simply nodded. He looked at the closed door for a moment, then back at Natasha. "Were we lovers?"

"What?" Natasha blurted. She sighed and shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "No. No, you weren't. Why would you think that?"

"He seems familiar. I knew him once. I knew him well. Is that right?"

Natasha nodded. "I suppose you could say that. But not that way. He doesn't like you because you scare the piss out of him."

"Natasha!"

"That's all right, Papa. Grampy John says worse," Violet volunteered.

"I didn't need to know that, Poppet," Martin said.

"I scare him?" Loki repeated. He licked his top lip and frowned, looking away. After a moment, he looked back. "This is part of it, isn't it? Martin?"

"Yes."

"And you promised--"

"I promised. I meant it."

Loki nodded, and for a moment he looked sad. "Martin?" he asked slowly. "Do I scare you?"

Martin closed the distance between without having to think about it. He crouched in front of Loki, rested both hands on Loki's shoulders, and told him the truth.

"No. No, you don't."

#

Livvy closed the door and turned to face Clint. In French, she asked him, "You remember everything about what happened, don't you? I'm not asking for specifics. I know you can't tell me that. But you remember, no?"

"Not likely to forget," Clint answered, also in French.

"He doesn't," Livvy told him. "He remembers nothing at all about anything that happened in New York. All he knows right now is that he was tortured. Everything else is blank. "

"He's lying to you."

"He can't lie to Violet."

Clint's eyes were suddenly wide. "She was in his head?"

Livvy nodded. "She says his mind is full of holes. Dark places with nothing in them, she called them. His mind was wiped, Clint. He has no magic, no memory, and he was damned close to dying last night. And we don't know why. But we do know who had him. He described them well enough for Martin and Natasha to identify the Chitauri."

"Shit," Clint murmured in English. Then he switched back to French. "So... they wiped his mind?

"We don't know."

"All right. Why is he _here_?"

"Because Martin thinks that it would be dangerous to send him away. Did Natasha tell you about the cards?"

"Cards?" Clint shook his head. "No. Nothing about cards. Do I want to know?"

"Yes. Natasha will tell you. And Martin gave her a report." Livvy winced slightly and looked down at herself. "No fighting, you two. Mama's busy."

Clint grinned. "Getting close, hm?"

"A few weeks or so. Now, can you behave yourself, at least until we all leave? Martin will hate to have to kick your arse, but he'd do it."

"I'd hate to kick his. All right. Come on. I want to hear this report."

Livvy took Clint's offered arm. "Thank you. Oh, also. For the duration, his name is Luke, and he's Martin's distant cousin."

"Do I dare ask what happens if he never gets his memory back?"

"We'll worry about that if it happens. But the Holmes family does seem to have a habit of taking in strays."

"Even dangerous ones?"

Livvy grinned. "Especially the dangerous ones."

Livvy let Clint lead her out of the dining room, and into the hall. Martin arched an eyebrow at her as they came out. She nodded, and he relaxed. Only to tense again as Loki got up from his place on the stairs. He looked at Clint, then clasped his hands behind his back. Livvy could feel Clint's arm tensing under her hand.

"May I speak?" Loki asked softly.

"Go on," Clint answered.

"I... am told that you know me. And from your reactions, I think you don't like me. At all." He glanced at Natasha. "You never did answer that question."

"I didn't need to," she answered.

"You're right. You didn't." He looked back at Clint. "I don't know why. I imagine Olivia told you that."

"She did. Not that I believe it."

Loki bristled. "She's not lying to you!"

"I didn't say she was the liar," Clint responded, his voice clipped. "I don't know what game you're playing. But if you hurt anyone this time--"

"This time?" Loki interrupted. "This time?" He turned to Martin. "I hurt someone, before. That's part of what I don't remember. That's what he's saying."

Martin nodded slowly. "Yes. That's part of what I was going to tell you. Once you're ready to hear it."

Loki looked at him for a moment. Then he looked at Livvy. Then at Violet. "I am... a danger to your family," he said softly. Abruptly, he turned to Natasha. "When are we leaving?"

"What? Wait, Luke, you can't.. the cards--"

"I won't put them in danger," Loki interrupted. "You said it would be safer. You would keep me from hurting anyone else?"

Natasha looked completely bewildered. "Yes, but--"

Loki wasn't listening to her. He turned back to Martin. "Tell me. Before I leave, would you tell me?"

"You're certain you want to do this?" Martin asked. "You want to go with them?"

"You took me in. You welcomed me. You took care of me, and I cannot put you and your family in jeopardy because of... of what I was. What I might still be." Loki swallowed and stood straight. "Let me go."

Martin nodded, studying the inlay on the floor for a long moment. Livvy moved to stand next to him, taking his arm. He smiled at her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Thank you," he murmured softly. "For trying to protect us. Your name is Loki of Asgard."

Loki's brow furrowed. "Loki. My name is--"

His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped like a stone.


	11. Chapter 11

 Natasha reached Loki first, and managed to keep him from cracking his head on the floor. Martin dropped to his knees next to them, staring at the cold, pale blue cloud that enveloped Loki's body.

"Magic," Martin breathed. "It's not his, though!" He plunged both hands into the cloud, gasping as pain ran up his arms. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I've got you, whatever you are." He fumbled, trying to grab the shifting threads of magic, pull them into his control. It was wild under his hands, faster and colder than anything he'd ever experienced. Then, without warning, it struck out at him, knocking him backwards. He sprawled on his back on the floor, feeling as if he'd gotten kicked by a horse.

"Martin, you're bleeding!" Livvy gasped as he sat up. He raised one hand to touch the ticklish trickle under his nose, and his fingers came away red.

"What the hell...?" he muttered, slowly getting up, digging his handkerchief out of his pocket and pressing it to his nose. The magic cloud was gone, and Loki lay unconscious on the floor. "All right. Now we know that this isn't trauma. This was done to him. Deliberately."

"By the Chitauri?" Natasha asked. "They have magic?"

"I... don't think so," Clint said softly. "That wasn't magic. That was the Tesseract."

"Clint?" Martin asked. It had felt like magic.

"Trust me. I _know_." Clint frowned down at Loki. "What color are his eyes?"

"Green," Livvy answered.

"I thought so. They weren't green the last time I saw him. They were blue." He nodded towards Loki. "That same blue."

Martin blinked, frowned, then his jaw dropped. "You saw the... the cloud?"

"Yeah. Wasn't I supposed to? It was right there."

"I saw it, too," Natasha said. "Which means..."

"Clint's right. It wasn't magic. Let's get him off the floor." Martin shook his head. "I don't understand. It felt like magic. It behaved like magic."

"Martin, have you ever heard of Clarke's Law?" Livvy asked as Martin and Clint picked Loki up and moved him into the dining room. For lack of anyplace else, they laid him on the table.

"Clarke's Law?" Martin repeated. "Ah... no?"

"Yes, you have. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," Natasha said. "Remember?"

"Oh, is that called Clarke's Law? I didn't know that." Martin smiled. "But Willow's told me that before, and you told me that in New York... oh. Oh."

"Because you thought that the Tesseract was magic." Natasha finished.

"So... this either was something done on Asgard, or the Chitauri have the Tesseract," Martin said. "Which, I wonder?"

"And why haven't we heard from Thor?" Clint added. "He's got to be looking."

There was no time to answer -- Loki groaned, and his eyes opened.

"Luke?" Livvy asked, and Martin thanked her for the reminder of what name he was supposed to be using. "Are you all right?"

Loki tipped his head up to look at her, then pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around. "What am I doing on the table?" he asked.

"It was that or leave you on the floor," Natasha answered.

"How do you feel?" Martin asked.

"Dizzy. What happened?" Loki sat up and swung his legs over the side of the table, shaking his head.

"Do you remember anything?" Natasha asked.

Loki tipped his head to the side, then shook his head. "I remember... the last thing I remember is saying I want to go with you."

"I told you your name," Martin said. "I promised, so I told you, since you were leaving."

Loki's jaw dropped, but only for a moment. Then the exultant look vanished, replaced by confusion. "I--"

"Don't remember?" Martin finished. He nodded. "Because whatever it is that took your memories is still there. Your memory isn't gone, Luke, it's being suppressed. When I told you your name... that's why you passed out."

"Then... I'll never know?" Loki asked slowly. He looked bereft. Martin went to stand in front of him, resting his hands on Loki's shoulders again.

"No. You'll know. We'll find a way to beat this." He met Loki's eyes and held them. "We will. And until then, you're welcome here. With us."

"Yes, you are," Livvy echoed, coming to stand next to Martin. She took Loki's hand and squeezed it. "Please stay. Otherwise, Martin is going to fret. He's adopted you, you know."

Loki frowned. "Adopted?"

"You're part of the family," Livvy explained.

"No. No, that... I don't know." Loki growled and slammed his fists into his thighs. "I don't _know_!"

"We'll find it. We'll beat it." Martin insisted.

"Luke, we'll do what we can to help, too," Natasha added. "But for now, it might be best if you stay with the Crieffs."

"Even though it might not be safe?" Loki asked.

"I don't think you're a threat, Luke."

Martin looked at Natasha in shock. She shrugged. "I don't. And I think that if anyone can find a way through this... spell, you can."

"Thank you," Martin said, then looked at Clint. "Your thoughts?"

"Right now? I have no idea. You know I don't know anything about magic. And... I can't really trust him."

"Because of whatever it was that I did," Loki said. "I understand."

"Right, if we're going, we need to get on the road," Martin said, letting his hands drop. "Go by way of Kent, stop in at Bluewater?"

"That makes sense," Livvy agreed. "Luke's legs are longer than yours. Your trousers don't quite fit him. And he needs proper shoes and boots. And a coat."

Martin nodded and looked up. "So, anyone else want to come shopping?

#

Three hours later, they were almost to Sussex. Natasha and Clint had both excused themselves from the shopping trip and had left, presumably to go back to SHIELD headquarters. The shopping trip had gone well, and the packages of clothes and necessities were in the back of the van. Loki had come out of the trip looking more than a little stunned, but recovered once they were on their way and Violet explained the rules of "Yellow Car" to him. They'd played until Violet fell asleep in her seat.

"Is there a point to the game?" Loki asked.

"Not really, no," Martin answered, glancing in the mirror. "Arthur invented it."

"Arthur? From the plane?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Will we see him again?"

"After Christmas. His mother just recently remarried, so Arthur and his wife and their son are having their first family Christmas with his mother and step-father. They'll come down for the New Year, Carolyn said."

"Good. I haven't had a chance to thank him." Loki went quiet for a moment. "Martin?"

"Yes?"

"What happens if you can't break the spell?"

"If I can't break this spell?" Martin glanced over his shoulder. "In that case, welcome to the family."

#

Thor took his place on his throne -- no. The throne. Not his, not until they knew for certain Odin was dead. He'd gone so far as to refuse to be crowned King. He was Lord Regent until they knew. He rubbed his forehead for a moment, then took a deep breath, wincing at the lingering smell of smoke and old blood. Who would have thought that war would have ever come to Asgard? And now he needed to find a way to stop it. Which meant alliances that he never would have expected, and that he'd fought hard to make work. Diplomacy, he'd decided, was harder than war ever was. He nodded to Fandral, who was acting as his herald.

"The emissaries from Jotunheim, Sire," Fandral announced. The doors creaked open, and the frost giants approached the throne. A female, slightly built and startlingly pretty. And obviously in charge, something that surprised Thor. She was followed by two males who looked like twins, even to Thor's eyes. The female bowed her head slightly.

"Lord Regent," she said, her accented voice rich and musical. "I am Angrboða, and I speak on behalf of our Queen, Fárbauti. She has heard the words of your ambassador, and has sent us to represent her."

"Thank you for coming," Thor said. "Is there some title you prefer? I have no wish to give offense."

Angrboða smiled broadly. "You've grown since last you visited Jotunheim, Lord Regent. I have no title. Please, call me by my name."

Thor nodded. "And your escort?"

Angrboða gestured gracefully, "Byleist and Helblindi are the sons of our Queen."

"You honor us," Thor said. Both males nodded slightly, and he wondered which was which.

"Sire," Fandral said. "The Lady Sif acted as guide for the Lady Angrboða and her guard. They've seen the damage."

"Then you know why we've treated with your people," Thor said. "The Chitauri have turned on the Ljósálfar as well, and the Dökkálfar, whom we thought they would seek as allies. It appears that the Jotuns are next."

"We agree, and we are prepared to ally ourselves with the Alfar and with the Asgardians... for a price." Angrboða angled her head slightly. "My Queen wishes the return of her son."

Thor blinked, shocked. "Loki? She wants Loki?"

"Yes."

"But... Lady Angrboða, I was told that Loki was abandoned as an infant," Thor said. "Why would she now want him back?"

"Because Laufey, his sire, stole the child and left him to die. The Queen thought him dead, either from Laufey's actions or from the fighting. She has only learned the truth recently, when Odin came to us with his plans to return Loki to Jotunheim." Angrboða took a long breath. "My Queen is dying, Thor. She wishes to see her son before she dies."

Thor leaned forward. "My lady, there is nothing I would like more than to do what you wish. But Loki was taken by the Chitauri in their first attack. I don't know where he is, or if he still lives."

"My Lord, if I may?" Fandral asked. "I don't understand that bit about Loki being stolen by his father?"

Angrboða nodded. "Fárbauti tells us that when Loki was born, it was clear that he was... a throwback. He did not have the bearing of the warrior lines that Laufey was scion to. He was a child of the old lines of power, of Fárbauti's own lineage. She could tell that he would be strong, and so she named him, and named him her heir. Laufey disagreed. He was of the warrior line, and felt that Loki's birth disgraced him. In the last days of the battle, he stole the child from his cradle and laid the blame on the Asgardians."

"When all the time, Loki was safe here," Thor murmured.

"Just so. And now... Fárbauti never named another heir. And when she discovered Laufey's betrayal, she had him banished."

"But Laufey was king!" Fandral protested.

Angrboða sniffed. "Laufey was never king. When he had his dealings with Loki, when he attempted to assassinate Odin, he was acting as a rogue."

"So he tricked Loki," Thor said. "Now... if we find Loki. If he lives, and we return him to his mother, what would be his punishment for slaying his own sire?" Thor looked at the twin princes. "Your father, as well?"

"No, Lord Regent," the one on the left said. "Laufey did not sire us."

"Ah. And the punishment?"

"There is no punishment," Angrboða answered. "Loki slew the man who attempted to murder him. That, in our eyes, is justice. So, Lord Regent, we will help you. And you will help us to find our King."

Thor nodded. "Done. And I know where we need to go first. Lady, will you come with me?" He rose and started to hold out his hand, then stopped and met Angrboða's eyes. She smiled, clearly amused. She was, Thor noticed, no taller than he.

"Lead on, Lord Regent."

Thor nodded and led her out of the throne room, hearing the others behind them. "And you are of this old line of power?" he asked as they walked.

"You're perceptive. Far more so than I thought, given what I've been told. Yes. Fárbauti's mother and my mother were sisters."

Thor looked at her. "And do you have seith-craft?"

"That is what distinguishes the old line of power, Lord Regent." There was a slight hint of " _you idiot_ " in her tone, and Thor grinned.

"You remind me of him."

"Thank you. Where are we going?"

"The observatory." Thor started up the stairs to the one remaining tower. In the small room at the top, he found the person he was looking for.

"Heimdel," he said as he stopped. "What do you see?"

"Destruction," Heimdel answered. "No sign of Odin."

"And Loki?"

"A brief glimpse, now gone," Heimdel said. "A flicker of light in the darkness."

"Where?" Thor demanded.

"Midgard."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I'm taking liberties with Norse mythology and Loki's backstory, but so did Marvel. (Farbauti was actually Loki's father. Laufey was his mother. Marvel did it backwards).


	12. Chapter 12

 Violet woke up as the car pulled through the gates, and was bouncing in her seat by the time Martin stopped the car.

"All right. Here we are," Martin said. He got out of the car, and was just about to go around to help Livvy out when the door at the top of the stairs opened. A small white blur appeared, streaking down the stairs and towards the car, barking. Martin laughed.

"Caval!" he called, and caught the dog as it launched itself at him. For a few minutes, everything centered on a happy, barking puppy who seemed determined to lick Martin's face clean off. Martin heard laughter, and Caval jumped down and gave Violet an equally enthusiastic greeting. Then Loki came around the car with Olivia on his arm. Caval moved away from Violet and barked, once. Loki smiled.

"Who is this?"

"This is Caval. He's mine. Or I'm his. We're still debating that," Martin answered. He kept watching Caval. The pup had proven to be a very good judge of people. What would he think of Loki?

Caval sneezed twice, then walked over to jump up and put his forepaws on Loki's leg. Loki grinned.

"Well?" he asked Caval, ruffling the dog's short ears. "Have I passed?"

"I'd say so," Livvy said. "Come on, then. Inside. It's getting cold again. Luke, is it going to snow?"

"Not today, no."

"Good. If it snows again, we won't have anyone here for Christmas." Martin came over and took Livvy's other arm. "Come on. Inside, and we'll get settled."

Violet had run on ahead, and was chattering away with an older man in a dark suit, who was standing in the doorway.

"Sir, Ma'am. Welcome home." he said, bowing slightly. "Miss Violet has been telling me that we have a guest?"

"Yes, Edmund. This is my cousin, Luke," Martin said. "He'll be with us through the holidays. Luke, this is Edmund, our butler."

"Yes, Sir. I'll have the Duke room prepared," Edmund said. "And... perhaps Sir would care to pull the other one?"

"Edmund!" Livvy gasped. Martin just laughed.

"Who called ahead?" he asked.

"Doctor Watson. He also let me know that the Watson-Holmes-Moran household will be arriving this afternoon." Edmund stepped back to allow them to enter the house. "And Captain Rogers called to say that they would be arriving on Monday."

"Ah, just in time for the Longest Night. Thank you, Edmund." Martin shrugged out of his coat and passed it to a maid who appeared as if from nowhere. "Have you heard from Willow?"

"Miss Rosenberg will be here the day after tomorrow."

"Good." Martin helped Livvy out of her coat. "Lunch?"

"Will be ready in quarter of an hour." Edmund bowed again and left. Martin looked up to see Loki standing very still, his eyes wide.

"He's... formidable."

"Edmund has been our butler since I was small, and his father was butler here before him," Livvy said. "His family has been intertwined with the Holmes since... oh, I don't even know. Generations. Since the Regency, I think. There's almost always been a Kaleigh-trained Blackadder butler for the Holmes, or so Grandmother said."

"He's protective," Martin added. "Of all of us."

"I can see that." Loki looked up and around. "This house... this is enormous."

"Ancestral home," Livvy said. "My family has had roots in this area since the Dark Ages. The lands are extensive, too. If you want to go riding, we keep a nice stable now. Martin enjoys it."

"We can take Vee out on her pony tomorrow, if you like." Martin turned to Livvy. "After lunch, I think. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"If it hadn't snowed, I could make the walk. Now... no. It's best if I don't." Livvy shook her head. "You go."

"All right. After lunch, you take a nap, then." Martin kissed Livvy's forehead, then turned back to Loki. "Come on. I'll show you your room. Then we'll get ready for lunch."

"You live here?" Loki asked, following Martin up the stairs.

"Half the time, yes." Martin glanced over his shoulder. "I'm still getting used to it, myself. This is Liv's inheritance. When I married her, I had a van and a garret apartment, and that was all. I flew a plane, and on my days off, I worked at removals."

"Removals?"

"I moved furniture, pianos, anything that anyone needed to have moved from here to there." Martin shrugged, leading Loki down the hall and into one of bedrooms. "Here we are. The duke room. So named, I assume, because a duke slept here once."

Loki walked inside and looked around, turning in a small circle to take in the large bed, the fireplace and the desk. "And this is just to sleep?" he asked, laughing.

"It is a bit much, but the bed is comfortable," Martin said. "Liv and I are down the hall, and Violet is upstairs. We'll be quiet for a few days, until everyone gets here."

"Who is everyone?" Loki asked.

"Liv's uncles -- John, his husband Sherlock, and their boyfriend Jim."

"What?" Loki gasped.

"We're a bit odd with relationships," Martin said with a grin. "Thought you noticed that."

Loki frowned slightly. "Oh," he said slowly. "I thought she was teasing you about the lover's spat. It really was?"

"Well, yes. And even though he isn't my lover any more, Tony is still my friend. He'll be here on Monday, along with some other friends. Ah... Willow. You heard us mention her. She's my teacher, and she and her wife will be here, too."

Loki nodded. "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Olivia knows about you and Tony?" he asked. Then he shook his head. "She must. She was there when you were talking about it last night. She doesn't mind?"

"Oh, of course she knows!" Martin answered. "I'd never try to keep this from her. And back in the beginning, it was her idea. She saw that I was attracted to someone, and she told me that she didn't mind. Sometimes she joins in." He grinned. "That enough information? Or far too much?"

Loki shook his head. "I don't understand why you're telling me so much."

"Because you asked?" Martin answered. "Because I thought you needed the answer? Because I trust you?"

"You trust me?" Loki repeated.

Martin looked around. "That's odd. I never noticed an echo before."

Loki blinked, then started to giggle. Martin laughed with him, then nodded towards the door. "Come on. Lunch will be on the table."

"Good. I'm hungry."

"After that breakfast, you're hungry again?" Martin followed Loki out into the hall. "Cook is going to love you. She's always on me about not eating enough to suit her."

#

"Where are you going?"

Martin stopped putting his coat on and looked at Loki. "Just for a walk. I'll be back in an hour. Probably less. It's cold out. Liv has Vee?"

"She said they both needed a nap. And she showed me the library."

"Oh, that will take you a week or two to get through. I'll find you there when I get back. Come on, Caval." Martin smiled slightly, zipped his coat and headed out into the cold.

It wasn't a long walk down the hill, but it was harder with the snow on the ground. By the time he reached the path into the woods, he was sweating underneath his heavy coat. Caval had run off into the trees, and Martin heard barking. He must have flushed something. The trees had kept the path relatively clear, though, and it was an easier walk to the family plot.

As always, Martin stopped at the edge of the plot, studying the stones. Most of them bore names he didn't know, Liv's ancestors. There were a few, though. The most recent ones. The black marble plinth, and the matching, smaller one beside it that marked Liv's grandfather's centotaph and her grandmother's grave. The graceful rose marble stone for Liv's mother, Lenore, and the dual silver-gray headstone for Uncles Napoleon and Illya. Martin looked around once more, realizing that the snow had covered the last one. He went to his knees and slowly brushed the snow off the small, white marble stone.

Alexander Mycroft Crieff. Under the name, the words "Born Sleeping."

Martin swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. "Well, here we are again," he said softly. "Now, if you'd come when you were supposed to, you'd be two. Probably all into trouble, the way I was. Mum always said you never could keep me still, unless you put a toy plane in my hands. Your mum is back at the house. She sends her love, but she can't make the walk right now. Not with the snow. You've got two brothers coming. They'll be here... in a few weeks, I think. They'll know about you. I'll tell them about their brother Alexander. I promise. We'll bring them down to see you, as soon as we can." He felt the tears on his face, freezing against his skin in the cold. "I can't stay too long, Alex. It's too cold. But we'll be back. All of us, on Christmas." He reached out and traced the letters on the stone, swallowed a sob. "I'm so sorry."

A stick snapped behind him. Martin didn't have to turn to know who it was. "You followed me?"

"You were hurting. I wanted to know why," Loki answered. "May I come closer?"

"You came this far."

Footsteps squeaking in the snow, then warmth behind him. "Alexander Crieff. Your son?"

"Yes. He'd have been two."

"Born sleeping?" Loki knelt down next to Martin and looked at him.

"It was... a seven month miscarriage. It was..." Martin swallowed again. "There was... an attack. Aliens. They wanted the children, all the children. We ran... and when the came after us, the plane was shot while I was taking off. We ran out of fuel. It... was a bad landing. I... I did the best I could... but..." Two years of grief and guilt broke through painfully-constructed barriers, and Martin gave in, scrubbing one cold hand over his face as his breath hitched. "I... couldn't... _save..._ him."

A cold hand slipped into his, squeezed his fingers tightly. "I'm sorry."

"Liv... I don't know if she knows how much..." Martin swallowed once more. "How much I blame myself. She's never asked, and she doesn't say."

"It wasn't your fault, though."

"I know. I just... I have all this magic, all this power... and when it mattered most... it did nothing. I couldn't do anything." He sniffed, looked at Loki. "Thanks."

Loki looked confused. "For what?"

"Listening. Following me. I... don't usually come down here alone. It's too much. But... well, we don't know when he would have actually been born, but the midwife gave us his due date. So we come down here on that date."

Loki nodded and met Martin's eyes. "Today?" Martin nodded, and Loki sighed before repeating, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Martin said. He reached out and ran his fingers over the stone once more, then shook his head. "Let's go back. It's too cold to be out here this long. We'll come back down here for Christmas. We come on Christmas Eve, to bring a bit of cheer to them." He nodded towards the other stones. "Liv's grandparents. Her mother, and the honorary uncles. And to Alex."

Loki helped Martin up, but didn't let go of his hand as they turned and started back up the path. "That's a good ritual," he said. "I like it."

"So do I." Martin whistled for Caval, then glanced at Loki. For the first time, he noticed that Loki wasn't wearing a coat. "Aren't you cold? It's freezing out here?"

"I'm not cold," Loki answered, looking up the hill towards the house. He stopped, pulling Martin to a stop next to him. Martin started to ask why they'd stopped, but there was a look in Loki's eyes that made him fall silent. Loki just looked at him, for a long moment, his breath coming out in white clouds. Then, without a word, he stepped in close and kissed Martin on the lips.  


	13. Chapter 13

 When Loki stepped back, his face was slightly flushed. Martin was torn between being surprised at Loki's actions, or amused that Liv had predicted them.

"Luke?"

"I... was wondering what it would be like," Loki said. "And if you'd mind."

"You know, you could ask first."

A broad smile. "I didn't want you to say no."

Martin sniffed, now solidly amused. "And was it what you thought it would be?"

"I'm not sure." Loki shrugged. "It was nice, but I don't think I have anything to compare it to."

"Well, if you're going to compare it to something, then perhaps you should do it properly?"

Loki arched an eyebrow. "I did it wrong?"

Martin stepped forward and rested his hands on Loki's neck, running the tips of his fingers over his nape and feeling the other man shiver. He smiled, then kissed him slowly. Gently. Completely. When he pulled back, Loki didn't move for a moment, his eyes closed.

"I did it wrong," he murmured. Then he started to giggle. "I did it so very wrong."

"You did. But you'll learn."

"You'll show me?"

The unbridled eagerness was clear. Martin grinned and slid his hands down to Loki's shoulders. "Now, I have to ask this. Are you sure about this? You're under my protection, Luke. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"I did kiss you first," Loki pointed out.

"You did. But... I want you to think about this. About why. Please?"

They started back of the hill, neither of them saying anything. It wasn't until they were inside and Martin was taking off his coat that Loki cleared his throat.

"I can answer that, I think," he said. "And it's not because of any sort of misplaced gratitude. I am grateful, but... I don't think I'd ever be _that_ grateful. For anything."

Martin nodded. "Good. So why, then?"

Loki nodded, pacing back and forth across the hall. "Can we... go someplace private?"

"The library?"

"Yes."

Inside the library, once Martin closed the door, Loki started pacing again. "I like you," he said at length. "You're nice. You're funny. You've accepted me into your home and into your life. Which makes it sound like gratitude again. I promise you, it isn't."

"I take your word for it."

"Thank you," Loki said. He stopped and looked at Martin. "You know who I am. You know what I am, and what I've done. I can only assume from Clint's reactions to me that I was... not a good person."

"No. No, you weren't."

Loki nodded, then asked, "I was very bad?"

Martin sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You defined very bad, Luke. In all honestly, there are people out there who would call for your immediate execution, based on what you've done."

Loki paled. "I hadn't realized it was quite so serious."

"Yes, I suppose serious is one word for it." Martin sat down on the couch and stretched his legs out, smiling slightly as Caval came and laid down next to him. "So, you were saying?"

"You know." Loki came to stand in front of Martin. "You know all that, and you still brought me here. Into your house, into your family. You've adopted me. You trust me. You're not afraid of me. You... you've been my friend. You've accepted me, even knowing more about me than I know about myself. Even knowing what I am."

Martin smiled, sitting up and leaning forward. "All right. First, stop with the "what I am." You're not a what. You're a who. And yes, I know who you are. Or rather, I know who you were. Until I can tell you otherwise, you're Luke. And yes, I know what you did. I was there for part of it."

Loki sank to sit on the floor at Martin's feet. Caval shifted to rest his head on Loki's knee, and Loki absently started playing with the dog's ears. "Why, then?" he asked. "You know, and you brought me here. Why?"

"Because you needed help," Martin said. "Because... it felt right. And because I believe in second chances." He leaned back. "This afternoon, you'll meet Jim Moran. He's Violet's godfather, John and Sherlock's live-in. He's been with them.... let me see. They've been married eight years. Seven years they've been together. And two years before that, he tried to kill John. He did kill four or five people himself. I forget how many, but he'll tell you if you ask. He was James Moriarty then, and he ruled the world."

"Really?" Loki asked.

"Oh, yes," Martin answered. "Anything that had to do with shady dealings, he had a finger in and some control over. Until he gave it up. Walked away. Because John and Sherlock trusted him. Gave him a chance." He sniffed. "It came around and bit us all the in arse a few years ago. Not something I like to think about."

"What happened?"

"Some of his former associates kidnapped Liv. Damn near killed her." Martin shook his head, and decided to tell Loki the rest. "One of them was my brother."

"Brother." Loki looked thoughtful. Then he frowned. "I have one, don't I? It's just... the word resonates."

"Yes. You do." Martin wondered once more if Thor knew. Was he looking? Did Jane know anything? He'd have to call her later. "I know him. He's a friend."

Loki nodded, looked down at Caval, then up at Martin. "Are we friends, Martin?"

Martin grinned. "We are now. You said so. And, perhaps, we'll be more. But not because you feel you have to, Luke."

"I don't feel I have to. I want to." Loki tipped his head back and smiled. "Right now, I want you to kiss me again."

Martin laughed. "You do, hm? Demanding." He held his hand out. "Come up here."

Loki took his hand, and Martin pulled him up onto the couch, turning to face him. That eager look was back, and Loki set about proving that he'd learned something from that one kiss in the snow. There was still a bit of hesitation, though. A touch of clumsiness...

"Luke, wait a bit," Martin murmured when he could take a breath. "I need to ask you something."

"You ask too many questions," Loki grumbled.

"This one is important. You've done this before, right?"

Loki blinked, frowned, then laughed. "And how am I supposed to answer that?"

"Oh. Good point." Martin tipped his head back against the couch cushions, reaching up to brush an errant lock of hair off Loki's forehead. "You're gorgeous, you know."

"I am?" Loki looked surprised. "Thank you."

"You're both gorgeous."

Martin turned and saw Livvy standing just inside the door. "You were busy," she said. "Neither of you noticed me come in."

"You don't mind, do you?" Loki asked, sitting up.

"Not at all," Livvy answered. "So long as you promise not to hurt him."

Loki looked at Martin, then back at Livvy. "I can promise that. I won't hurt him. Or you. Or anyone. I promise."

"In that case, you might want to take this upstairs," Livvy said, grinning. "A car just pulled up."

"Oh, the uncles are here?" Martin asked.

"Yes. So if you want to have some private time, go upstairs. If you want to wait until later, you still need to go upstairs. The both of you are looking delightfully rumpled." Livvy dimpled. "So, do I get to watch?"

Loki coughed, and Martin turned to see him staring. "Watch? You want to watch? Us?"

"Yes," Livvy answered. "Right now, I really can't do anything else."

"Oh. I... see." Loki nodded, looked away, then back at Martin. "You really do have odd ideas of relationships."

"I did warn you," Martin said, feeling oddly cheerful. "Now, are we taking this upstairs? Or going and getting washed up? It's up to you."

Loki sat back, his head cocked to one side. 'If Olivia wants to watch, we should wait until she can," he said after a moment. "If there are guests here, she can't join us. And once Vee wakes up from her nap, she won't have any time."

"Thank you, Luke," Livvy said. "That's very considerate. Do I get a kiss, too?"

When Loki hesitated, Martin nudged him. "Go on. She'll pout if you don't."

"Oh. We can't have that." Loki got up and walked over to Livvy. She smiled up at him, then winked, and he laughed. He leaned down and kissed her, gently... then jumped back, his eyes wide.

"Sorry!" Livvy said, giggling. "I should have warned you."

"That... was the baby?"

Livvy nodded. "One of them."

Loki reached out, then froze and met Livvy's eyes. "May I?"

"Oh, of course!" Livvy took one of Loki's outstretched hands and rested it on her belly. "Press a little there... ah. Feel that?"

"Yes!" Loki smiled in obvious delight. "That's... wondrous. And you have twins?"

"Yes. Two boys. It's getting a little crowded in there, so they resent when something puts pressure on them from outside." Livvy ran one hand over her stomach. "Hugs have to be from the side now."

Loki grinned, putting one arm around Livvy's shoulders and hugging her to his side. She snuggled into his side, then held her hand out toward Martin. Martin got up and joined them, putting his arms around them both.

It felt right.


	14. Chapter 14

 The first person they saw when they came out of the library was John, who grinned and waved.

"You didn't come alone, did you?" Martin asked. "Where are they?"

"At the hives," John answered.

"But Jim--" Livvy looked at the door.

"Thinks that because the bees are cold, it might be safe to take a look," John said. "He's been curious for years. Hello, Luke. How are you feeling?"

Loki had been hanging back, looking almost tentative. But he smiled when John called his name. "I'm fine, thank you. What was the case?"

"You can ask Sherlock about that when you meet him. He'll happily talk your ears off for the rest of the night." John handed his coat to the waiting maid and looked over at Loki. He frowned slightly, then looked at Livvy. When he looked at Martin, he rolled his eyes.

"All right. Which of you heathens made the first move?"

Martin snickered, looking sideways at Livvy and Loki. Livvy just smiled, but burst out laughing when Loki half-raised his hand. She took his arm and hugged it, and he smiled and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Right," John said, shaking his head. "Welcome to the insanity that is the Holmes clan, Luke. You'll fit right in." He turned as the door opened again and Jim and Sherlock walked in. Jim was laughing.

"... I've never seen you jump that high!" he said as he came in. Then he saw Loki and stopped, grinning broadly. "Martin, how thoughtful! An early Christmas gift. Is he my size, do you think?"

"Ignore Jimmy," Livvy said. "He's a prat. And a flirt. And devoted to my fathers."

"Your fathers?" Loki asked. "I thought you told me your father and his husband were away?"

"Well, yes," Livvy answered. "It's complicated. I have four fathers. Sherlock is my biological father, Mycroft is my adoptive father."

Loki nodded slowly, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He looked down and away, and his arm fell to his side as he stepped back.

"Luke? Caught something?"

Loki looked up. "I don't know. Maybe. Adoption again. It's..." he shook his head. "Perhaps I was?"

Martin frowned, thinking. "Yes.... yes, I think you're right."

"You really can't remember anything." Sherlock handed his coat to the maid and walked over to Loki, studying him intently. Loki backed up a step, his eyes wide.

"I did tell you that, Sherlock," John said. "Now back up."

Sherlock sniffed. "Yes, but you also told me that you weren't sure how much he was to be trusted."

"Sherlock!" Martin snapped, seeing the sudden, hurt look on Loki's face. Sherlock blinked, looked at him, then back at Loki.

"Ah..." he said. Then he frowned. "Is there someone else expected today?"

"No, why?" Martin asked.

Sherlock pointed to the window behind Loki. "There's a car coming up the drive."

#

Martin stepped outside, wincing at the bite of the wind through his sweater. The car slowed as it reached the top of the drive, pulling to a stop at the foot of the stairs. To his shock, a familiar woman got out of the car.

"Willow!" he called, starting down the stairs. "It's good to see you. I didn't think you'd be here until tomorrow!"

Willow bounced up the stairs and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "I left early. They're saying that there's another snowstorm coming, and I didn't want to get stuck, especially with you throwing magic around the way you did last night. So how's my favorite student?"

"That was completely not my doing. And I'm doing well. Come inside. Where's Kennedy?"

"Belarus. Something she called a Slayer field trip. She sends her love. Caval! Hiya, boy!"

Once Willow had greeted the dog, Martin escorted her inside. Livvy and Loki were on one side of the entryway, and John, Sherlock and Jim were on the other.

"Oh, dear. What did Sherlock say?" Willow murmured. John turned towards her voice and smiled.

"Willow! You're early!"

"It's supposed to snow again, so I decided you wouldn't mind if I was early."

"It isn't."

Willow turned towards Loki. "Isn't what?"

"Going to snow. Rain. But not snow."

Willow wrinkled her nose. "Cold rain is worse. I grew up in California. As far as I'm concerned, snow is something you visit. It shouldn't happen where you live. Hi, I'm Willow."

Loki took the offered hand and nodded. "It's very nice to meet you, Willow. I'm Luke."

"And you have some really heavy magic on you," Willow said. She looked at him, met his eyes, then reached out and tapped his forehead. "Wow. That's... pretty nasty."

"You can see it?" Martin asked.

"Feel it, mostly. There's a lot of power in these spells."

"It might not be magic," Martin said. "It might be technology. We're not entirely sure."

"Yeah, I can see that. Do you want me to see what I can make of this?" Willow looked at Loki and grinned. "Sorry. I shouldn't talk about you like you're not standing here. But one of the reasons I came early was because of whatever happened last night. Which, now that I mention it, what did happen last night?"

"Over tea, Willow. I'll explain over tea."

"Tea?" Loki asked. "We're eating again?"

"Don't tell me you're hungry again?" Livvy asked.

"Only a little." Loki said. Only to fall quiet as John sighed and stepped forward.

"Luke, I'm sorry about that," he said.

"You're telling people not to trust me," Loki said softly. "And you've only just met me. You don't even know me." He paused. "You know who I was, though. And that's why you don't trust me. You know. But I don't. So why don't you wait and see if you can trust the man I am now? Instead of someone who I never can be again?" He stopped, licked his lip, then turned to Martin. "Excuse me, please."

"Of course." Martin watched as Loki slowly went up the stairs, and was surprised when Caval followed him. He wondered at that for a moment, then turned towards John. "So, what else did you tell them?"

"Only that."

"Then we'd best have this out."

#

"So you're saying that the madman who was responsible for the destruction of New York is here, in this house?" Sherlock repeated. "And..." his brow furrowed. Then he groaned and rolled his eyes. "And you're sleeping with him?"

"No to that last bit. Well, not yet to that last bit. And yes. Luke is Loki of Asgard. But he doesn't know that. And he can't know that, because when that information is given to him, the spells on him kick in and wipe his memories again."

"Wow," Willow said. "Who did the spellcasting?"

"No idea," Martin answered. "It's nothing I've ever felt before, but Clint says it feels like the Tesseract."

"Clint's not a witch," John pointed out.

"No, but he was under the Tesseract's power."

"That is beside the point," Sherlock snapped. "How could you be so careless as to allow someone that... that dangerous this close to Olivia and to Violet?"

"Sherlock?"

Jim's voice was quiet, but the effect was startling. Sherlock went silent and still, his eyes wide. He turned towards Jim's chair and said, "Yes?"

"Pot. Kettle. Black." Jim smiled sweetly. "It'll be nice to meet someone who is worse than I was."

"Not a contest, Jim," John said. "But yes, I see your point."

Martin nodded. "So that's where we are. He hasn't got a past, except for the torture. And he's right. He might never have those memories back. But we can give him a future. Violet thinks he's wonderful."

"So does Violet's mother," Livvy chimed in. "He's darling."

"Oh, Liv honey, I'm jealous!" Jim teased.

"You'll always be my first psychopath, Jim," Livvy said gently. Jim tossed a cushion at her.

"Enough, you two," Martin said. He looked around. "So, that's all."

"No, it isn't." Sherlock slumped into a chair. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it, Martin."

Martin blinked, startled. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"If all that he remembers is torture, then whatever was done to him to take his memories was done before the Chitauri had him. This was done to him on Asgard."


	15. Chapter 15

 Martin blinked, taken aback. Of course Sherlock was right. He usually was right. But... "His own people did this to him? But why?"

"Punishment?" John suggested. "Given everything I know of him, that total loss of self... it's got to be devastating."

"He hasn't lost everything, though. He remembers some things. He's remembered that he has a brother." Martin said. "And a few others things. Things that mean something to him."

"That makes sense. Emotions are on a different level. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the emotional memory. So even if the memory is gone, the emotion is still there," Willow offered.

"I wonder..." Livvy started. "I wonder if that's why he's so tentative. Because there's some emotional memory there?"

"Tentative?" Jim asked.

"Like he's afraid of getting too close." Livvy looked thoughtful. "His reaction, when he found out that Uncle John was warning you off of trusting him... yes. I think so."

Martin shook his head. "I have no idea. I don't know enough about him before. But if Sherlock is right, and I think he is, we have a bigger problem. There's nothing in Loki's mind between the memory loss and the torture. If it was punishment, that means they took his memories and gave him to the Chitauri. And I can't see Thor ever allowing that."

"Especially because what point would that serve?" Livvy added. "Why give him to creatures who used to be his allies, when he wouldn't even know why he was being tortured?"

"So the Asgardians took his memories..." Martin said slowly, starting to pace. He stopped next to the fireplace, turning to face the rest of the room. "There's been no word from Thor for months. I'll have to check with Jane, but I'm willing to bet that she hasn't seen or heard from him at all. Which means..."he frowned, letting his thoughts fall into place.

"He has no way of getting here," John finished.

"Which means that the Chitauri have the Tesseract. Which means... they must have moved on Asgard." Martin looked down, then cursed. "Damn it!"

"We need to let Fury in on this," John said. Martin nodded.

"Would you report in? I want to check on Loki."

#

Martin tapped on the closed door and listened for a response. When all he heard was silence, he cracked open the door and peered in.

"Luke?"

"Come in, Martin."

Martin came the rest of the way inside, closing the door behind him as he looked around. Loki was sitting in the wide window seat, his knees draw up to his chest, Caval curled up on his feet. Loki glanced over at Martin, then turned back to the window.

"Is this what it's going to be like?" he asked quietly. "Am I always going to be judged for things I did when I was someone else?"

Martin sighed. "Possibly. And you're going to have to prove yourself. Over and over again. It's going to be hard. But you're not going to have to do it alone, Luke. And you don't have to prove yourself to me. Or to Liv." He joined Loki at the window. "Budge over."

When they were finally settled -- Martin with his back against the upholstered side of the window-well, Loki leaning back against him, his back against Martin's chest -- Martin tightened his arms around Loki and sighed. "It's going to be hard," he repeated, feeling Loki's hair against his cheek. "But we'll be with you. You're not alone, Luke."

Loki was silent for a moment. Then, in a near whisper, he said, "He welcomed me to the family. But he didn't mean it. He doesn't want me here." He sniffed, staring out the window. "Why would he?"

Martin heard the hurt in the words, the rejection. How many times had this happened before, that this was hurting him so much now? Unbidden, he remembered a conversation he and Liv had, the night he'd been knighted:

_"What are you thinking?" she murmured._

_"That he did this so that you wouldn't be marrying a piss-poor commercial pilot who never managed to get a real job with a real airline," Martin answered, his voice sad and small. "I mean... I'm a knight now. That means I'm important. I'm... worth something."_

This was a hurting that Martin knew, that once he'd known far too well. Liv had taught him otherwise, taught him that he was worth loving. Now, it appeared that he'd be the teacher. He touched Loki's cheek, ran his fingers down to his chin, turned Loki's head to face him, and kissed him. Loki jerked, tried to pull away, then relaxed against Martin, moaning softly as he reached up and touched Martin's face, ran his fingers through Martin's hair.

"He doesn't have a say in this," Martin said when he finally pulled back. He tightened his grip. "You're ours now. No one else matters."

"But... her father--"

"Doesn't matter," Martin cut Loki off. "And if he thinks he can say who we can and cannot love, he's a hypocrite. And I've never heard that said about John Watson."

"What did you say?" Loki asked, pulling out of Martin's arms and sitting up.

"I said John Watson isn't a hypocrite. At least, not usually."

"No, before that."

Martin smiled and nodded. "Ah. I see. I said he can't tell us who we can and cannot love."

Loki twisted so that he was sitting facing Martin. "And... you mean that. I can see, you really mean that. How? You've known me... what? A day? Less? You didn't know me before, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I knew about you. Knew to recognize you. But I didn't know you. And as for the other." Martin shrugged. "Can't answer that. I don't know. All I know is that you're here now. You are ours. And, while I can't speak for Liv, I'm pretty sure she feels the same way."

Loki scowled, obviously skeptical. "How can you be sure?"

"If she didn't, she wouldn't have let us be alone for so long in the library. She'd have interrupted," Martin answered. "And she says that she thinks you're darling."

"Darling?" Loki repeated. "Darling?" He shook his head and smiled. "Anything else?"

"Two more things. Vee thinks the world of you. And... there's that mobile carpet behind you." Martin grinned as Loki turned to look at Caval, currently pressed up against his back. "We brought in a governess about three months ago. Liv was having trouble with her hip, and she was getting too big to really be comfortable doing much with Vee. Caval nearly took the woman's hand off. She ran, never came back. And Liv's father did some deeper digging. It took about a week, but it turned out that she was part of a rather canny group of thieves and kidnappers, run by someone who had a grudge against Sherlock. Once they were taken down, we found out that their plans were to kidnap Vee. When Caval accepted you, that sealed it." There was a knock on the door. Martin sighed. "That's John."

Loki looked at the door for a moment, then called, "Come in."

John walked into the room, holding himself stiffly. It was, Martin thought, quite possibly the most formal he'd seen John outside of weddings or funerals.

"Luke?" John clasped his hands behind his back. "I want to apologize. You're right. You are completely right, and I'm sorry. I should have given you a chance."

"So... Liv?" Martin asked casually. John's ears turned pink.

"Jim."

"Ah, yes. I suppose that does make more sense." Martin swung his legs around so that he was seated facing John. "Called you a hypocrite?"

John's ears went pinker still. "That was probably the nicest thing he called me, yes."

"Good."

"And I accept your apology," Loki added.

"Thank you," John said. "And... not that it excuses anything, but I know why I did it. Why I didn't want you here."

"Because you're afraid," Loki said.

"Yeah," John sighed. "For Livvy."

"For Liv? John--"

"We couldn't protect her the last time, Martin."

It was like a bucket of ice water. Martin swallowed and looked away.

"I already swore that I would not hurt her. Or Violet. Or Martin. Or anyone in this family. I tried to leave them, this morning," he heard Loki say. "You were there for the cards. I am here because, apparently, this is where I need to be. I didn't ask to be adopted into your family." Loki's hand came to rest on Martin's. "But I am very happy that I have been."

"Yeah, well, wait until after tea. IF Sherlock doesn't drive you straight out of your mind, you'll fit right in. Oh, and by the way, Livvy won't let us have tea until you come down."

"Go on," Martin said. "I'll be along in a minute. I need a moment." He stared out the window, hearing the door open and close. Caval whined and came close, bumping his head against Martin's chest.

"Martin?"

Martin turned to see Loki standing a few feet away. "You didn't go."

"No. You said I needed help? You need help, too. Let me help." He held out his hand. "I want to help."

Martin swallowed and took Loki's hand, standing up, not surprised when Loki pulled him into a tight embrace. They stood for a few minutes, Loki's arms strong and solid around him, until Martin sniffed and nodded.

"Right. I'll just wash my face, then we can go down."

"You're all right?" Loki asked.

"I will be. Eventually." Martin smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Loki said. "We'll take care of her. And each other."

Martin nodded again. "Yes. Yes, we will." He snorted. "You and me against the world?"

Loki nodded, looked thoughtful. Then he grinned. "When do we attack?"

Martin stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.

#

Over tea, Loki made the mistake of asking Sherlock about the case. For the next three-quarters of an hour, he listened, wide-eyes, as Sherlock regaled them all with the details of priceless black pearls, six ceramic busts of Beethoven, and a recently released convict who had hidden the former inside a single one of the latter five years prior.

"But how did he know which was the right one?" Loki asked, when he got a word in edgewise.

"He didn't. That was why he needed to smash them all until he found them," Jim answered.

Loki frowned, reaching for another scone. "That just seems... singularly stupid," he said. "Anyone could have broken the right statue and found the pearls. Wouldn't he have been better off just hiding a few in each? Then, even if he only found one or two, he'd still have some of the pearls." He paused, took a bite. "But I suppose having all the pearls in one made some sense. If he hadn't gone to prison, all he'd have needed to do was weigh the statues. The heaviest one would have been the one with the pearls."

Sherlock stopped with his teacup halfway to his mouth. He grinned and nodded. "I like this one, Martin. He thinks. Yes, that was exactly his plan. Well done."

Jim snickered. "Congratulation, Luke. You're officially part of the family."

"No, he isn't," Willow said. "Sherlock hasn't insulted him yet."

"I don't insult people--" Sherlock started, and was drowned out by laughter. Sherlock shook his head. "Very well. But only when they deserve it."

"Some people deserve it more than others," Martin said. "What was it that you called Tony that one time?"

"An egotistical sociopath who hides behind metal masks rather than face his own shortcomings," Livvy answered as she made up another cup of milky tea for Violet. "Remember? Pepper laughed until she cried."

Sherlock sniffed. "He deserved it." He sipped his tea and said, in a quieter tone. "He calls me Sherly. And he insulted my skull."

Loki's eyes widened. "Your skull?"

"The one on the mantle at home," John answered. "What are we calling it this week, Jim?"

"Clement. It's Christmas, after all."

"Right," John nodded. "Clement." He snorted, then recited: "' _Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Sherlock's blown up the kitchen, 'cause he saw a mouse._ '"

"Oh, no!" Livvy gasped, amidst peals of laughter. "Oh, dear. The kitchen?"

"Mrs. Hudson is getting a renovation for Twelfth Night," John answered.

Loki stared at them, then turned to Martin and smiled slowly. "I will never be bored, will I?"

"Never."

Loki started giggling. "I'm going to like it here!"

#

After tea, Sherlock, John and Jim excused themselves. Martin knew they were making their own trip down the hill, but he tried not to think about it. Instead, he focused on helping Loki get settled, and on helping Violet wrap the presents that she wanted to put under the tree, keeping her busy so that Livvy could wrap presents in private. The tree, Edmund told them, would arrive in the morning.

When Willow found him, he was sitting on the floor in Violet's room, wrangling wrapping paper, ribbon and cello-tape.

"Everything finished?" Willow asked.

"Almost," Martin answered, handing Violet more tape. "This is the last one, isn't it?"

"Yes, Papa," Violet answered. Then she looked up, clearly distressed. "Papa, we didn't get anything for Luke! He won't have anything to open Christmas morning!"

Martin just smiled. "Remember at Bluewater, when your mother took you and Luke to get a drink?"

"Yes."

Martin winked at his daughter. "Luke will have something to open Christmas morning, Poppet. Never you worry."

Violet squealed and threw herself at Martin, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Papa!"

"You're welcome, Vee. Now, go find your grandfather. You wanted to show him your new book, remember?" Martin got to his feet as Violet ran out of the room. Willow smiled, looking after the little girl.

"She's adorable," she said. "I mean, I see Xander and Dawn's girls all the time, but Vee is... I don't know. Special."

"She is. You were looking for me?"

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to know if you wanted to see about those spells? The ones on Luke's memory?"

"Oh, yes. Now would be a good time. We have until supper. Where is he, do you know?"

"Last I saw, he was in the great hall."

Loki's laughter was audible through the closed doors as Martin and Willow reached the great hall. Martin looked inside and grinned -- Loki had apparently been coopted into helping with the decorations. His arms were full of garland, and he was walking backwards, letting the garland spiral out of the pile so that Jim could tack it up onto the walls.

"Careful, there. Don't trip," Jim called from up on a ladder. "If you trip, you'll get all tangled it in. We'll be forever putting it right." Then he leered at Loki. "Unless, of course, you like that sort of thing?"

Loki stopped moving, his eyes wide. He looked, Martin thought, like a deer caught in the headlights. "I... do you like that sort of thing?" he asked. There was a look in his eyes that said he wasn't sure what kind of thing he was talking about.

Jim grinned widely. "Want to find out?"

"Jim, leave him alone," Martin called.

"You're no fun, Martin!" Jim said. He laughed and jumped down, coming over to take the garland from Loki. "Go on, then. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Loki said. Then... "What were you talking about? What sort of thing?"

Jim's grin grew broader. "Ask Martin."

"Jim!"

Willow was giggling as Martin led Loki out of the hall.

"Where are we going?" Loki asked.

"My workroom. Willow and I wanted to take a closer look at the spells on you."

"Oh." Loki nodded. "It won't hurt, will it?"

"No idea. Do you want us not to try?" Willow asked.

Loki stopped, looked down at the ground, crossing his arms over his chest. Then he nodded. "Let's try."

"All right. We'll be careful." Martin put his arm around Loki's shoulders. "We won't hurt you if we can help it."

"Thank you." Loki looked back over his shoulder. "So, what was Jim talking about?"

Martin glanced at him, then over at Willow. "I... how do I explain this?"

"Don't look at me. You're the one with the kinky relatives."

"Martin, you're blushing." Loki grinned. "Will you explain later?"

"Yes, Luke, I'll explain later. Workroom. Now."


	16. Chapter 16

 "What do you want me to do?" Loki asked as Martin closed the door and set the shields. Martin looked around and nodded.

"Ah... on the table, I think. It will be easier to work. Willow, will you take the candles, please?"

"Sure," Willow answered, waving one hand. All the candles sparked to life. Loki looked around with barely veiled wonder.

"Could I learn how to do that?" he asked.

"Table?" Martin responded, not sure how to bring up that Loki had once been able to do considerably more than light candles. Loki arched an eyebrow, then went and hopped up onto the table. "Lay back," Martin said. He picked up a cushion and gave it to Loki. "Get comfortable."

Loki lay down and let out a long breath. "Now what?"

"Now, you relax. I'm going to put you into a trance, and we'll see what we can do about these spells." Martin rested one hand on Loki's forehead. "If nothing comes of this, then you'll wake up feeling as if you'd had a nap. That's all."

"All right." Loki closed his eyes and took another breath. "I'm ready."

A few minutes later, he looked as if he were sleeping, his breathing deep and even.

"He went under really well," Willow murmured.

"He did. All right. Let's see what we're working with here." Martin held his hands on either side of Loki's head and narrowed his eyes. "Clint says that the energy appears to be from the Tesseract."

"You told me. I'm not seeing anything. There's no signature. No aura at all."

"Thought it was just me," Martin admitted. He tried another magical probe, and met nothing. "When I told Loki his name, there was a cloud. It enveloped him, and he passed out. When he woke up, he didn't remember anything."

"Hmm," Willow hummed. "Is the information still there, do you think? Is it erased, or repressed?"

"Good question. Let's find out." Martin trailed one finger over Loki's forehead. "Can you hear me?"

"... yes..."

"Good. Now, listen to me. We're going to see what you remember. I want you to go back in your mind, past the torture. Past the Chitauri. What do you see?"

Loki's brow furrowed slightly. "A wall," he said softly. "There's a wall."

"Good. Can you move past the wall?"

Loki whimpered. "Hurts."

"All right. Don't hurt yourself." Martin frowned, then nodded. "Try something different. I want you to go deeper into your mind. There's a trail of silver light that leads down, and I want you to follow it. You'll feel as if you are sinking. You're going deeper and deeper, following the trail of light. You're below where you were before, below the wall. Tell me what you see."

A small, wistful voice. "Home."

"Where is home?"

Loki smiled slightly. "Asgard."

"He does remember," Willow murmured.

"No, he doesn't. He's seeing past the spells, but he's so deep into his own mind that I don't think he'd be able to survive staying there." Martin touched Loki's forehead again. "What is your name?"

"Loki Odinson..." a pause, a frown. "No. Loki Laufeyson."

"Laufey?" Martin repeated. "Who is that?" He was asking Willow, but Loki answered.

"King of the Jotuns." Loki moaned slightly. "Threw me away. Tried to kill me. Mistake. Killed him instead."

"Oh, boy," Willow breathed. Martin nodded, his attention completely on Loki.

"Tell me what happened, Loki. Who did this to you? Who put the wall there?"

"Odin. Told me it would give me a chance to live, instead of spending eternity chained in Asgard's dungeons. Told me it was because he still thought of me as his son. He thought I wasn't listening. I heard him."

"Then what happened?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Loki answered. "He used the Tesseract. Thor was there. It hurt... it _hurt_..."

"That's enough, Loki. Leave it behind," Martin said. "Come back. I'm going to count backwards from ten. When I read five, you'll be back at the wall. When I reach one, you'll wake up. Ten... nine... eight..."

As Martin finished counting, Loki opened his eyes. He blinked, looked around, then sat up. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes and no," Martin answered. Absently, he waved the candles out, leaning against the wall. "Your memories are all still there, but they're locked away. And what is blocking them isn't magic that we can defeat." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry."

Loki looked down, his shoulders slumping. "You tried. Thank you for that."

"It doesn't seem like enough," Willow grumbled, coming around to perch on the table next to Loki. "It's not fair."

Loki looked at her. "You expected things to be fair?"

"Well, it would be nice if the gods at least played nice," she answered. "I mean, they expect us to, they could do the same."

Loki snorted. "They do what they want. That's why they're gods. We don't have that option."

"Because we have to live with our choices and our consequences," Martin added. "Right now, it looks like this is something we're going to have to live with. So... Luke, let's get started on you living with it."

"What?"

"Come on. Liv should be done by now." Martin opened the door and walked out, hearing Loki and Willow behind him.

"Martin, are we going to break the law again?" Willow asked.

"Yep."

"Neat!"

"Breaking the law?" Loki asked. "Should you be doing that? For me?"

Martin tried not to consider the hilarity of that question. "Right now, Luke, you are illegal. You don't have any of the papers or information that you need to live in this world. We'll be breaking the law a little now so that we don't break it a lot later."

"I don't think that makes sense."

"Trust me, Luke."

Livvy was in the library, and smiled as they came in. Then she blinked. "You're on a mission," she said. "What is it?"

"We need to make Luke legal," Martin answered.

"Oh. Breaking the spells didn't work?" Livvy asked, setting her book aside.

"No."

"Oh, damn," Livvy sighed and slowly stood up. "Well, my dear. It looks like you may be stuck with us. How will you ever be able to soldier on?" She grinned at him and took his hand. "Come along. I'll teach you my version of chicanery."

Loki looked mystified as Livvy led him out of the library and down the hall, into her office. She took a seat as her desk, making a face at the keyboard.

"Problem, love?" Martin asked.

"They don't design office furniture for pregnant women," she answered. "Now, birth certificate, school records, bank records, employment. Driver's license?"

"No, I don't think so," Martin answered. "I'll teach him to drive later. Then he can take the test."

"Fair enough. Am I missing anything?"

"Library card?" Willow volunteered. "Credit cards?"

"Oh, perhaps not those just yet," Livvy murmured.

"Passport!" Martin added. "Ah... can't think of anything else."

Loki stood near the desk, his eyes darting from speaker to speaker, his face expressionless. Livvy turned and looked at him, then looked around. "Ah... against that wall, I think. It should be a good background."

"Right. Luke, over here against the wall, please?" Martin led Loki over and had him stand in place while Livvy aimed a webcam at him.

"All right. Luke, you can sit now. I'll get this started. The background information I can get established now, but the cards will have to wait until we get back to London. I don't have the right printer here. Oh, where is he from?"

"Oh, good question." Martin considered it. "I... seem to remember cousins in Hastings. But Luke doesn't sound like Hastings."

"That's good," Livvy said, typing furiously. "Hastings is large enough that we shouldn't have to worry about him not knowing everything and everyone, but small enough that he won't be expected to be... too sophisticated. People in London will expect a little rustication. And we can drive down there and be touristy after the holidays, so that Luke learns something about the City. And I'll add theatre training to his background, to explain away any lack of dialect. But we'll need to have him learn whatever the dialect is. I don't know it."

"Nor do I," Martin admitted. "Also put in that he's currently employed at MJN. I'll clear it with Carolyn."

"Very nice. All right. As what?"

"Ah..." Martin frowned, looking over at Luke. "I have no idea. Bookkeeping?"

"Will Carolyn allow that?" Livvy asked. "How about administrative assistant?"

"Carolyn is getting a pretty secretary for a wedding present?" Willow teased.

"Pretty?" Martin glanced at her. "I thought that sort of thing didn't interest you?"

"I can still admire the view."

"Can... will one of you please explain what is going on?" Loki asked slowly. Livvy looked up and smiled.

"Oh, dear. You do look like we've run you over once or twice. I'm sorry. I forget that you're not used to us yet. Come and sit by me, Luke, and I'll explain what I'm doing and why it needs doing."

"Will you be all right here?" Martin asked. "I need to go make some calls."

"Go on, Sir Darling. We'll be fine," Livvy said. As Martin closed the door, he heard her explained what a birth certificate was, and why someone would need to prove that they had been born. No, dear, just standing here isn't enough proof.

Martin went into his own office and sat down, staring for a moment at his dark computer screen. Then he reached out and picked up the phone, touching a small, red button on the side. A moment later, he heard Edmund's voice.

"Sir?"

"I'll need a scrambled line, Edmund," Martin said. "For the next hour or so, I should think."

"Of course, Sir," Edmund said. "That will take a moment to prepare. I'll ring the line when it is secure. Will there be anything else?"

"Have we heard from anyone?"

"Not as of yet, no."

"Thank you." Martin hung up and waited, and in a moment, the phone rang. He picked it up and dialed, checking his watch as he did. Tromso was an hour ahead of London...

" _Doctor Foster's desk. Speaking._ "

"Hello, Jane. It's Martin."

" _Martin! Hi! Merry Christmas!_ "

"No, Jane. You're in Europe. Happy Christmas," he said, grinning. "Personal question. Have you seen him since I last spoke to you?"

" _No, I haven't._ " She sounded dejected. " _Not a word._ "

"Anything odd?"

" _Martin, why are you asking?"_

"Because I have good reason to think that a certain artifact is in play again. Do you have something?"

" _Yes. I've been reporting in to Fury for weeks now. Those odd energy reading I told you about before you left? They've been getting more and more frequent, and a lot stronger._ "

"That is what I was afraid you were going to say. Keep a close watch on those, Jane. I'll ring you back if I find anything else."

" _If you see him before I do, tell him I love him._ "

"Of course." He hung up, then dialed another number. It was answered on the first ring.

" _I've been wondering when you were going to call, Crieff._ "

"Didn't John call you earlier?" Martin asked.

" _He did, but I want to hear it from you. Exploding cards, blue clouds and magic that isn't magic?_ "

"That sounds fairly concise. Do you want me to repeat my initial report, or continue from there?"

" _Continue._ "

"We arrived in Sussex at about half eleven..." Martin started. He quickly went over what they'd discovered. "And whatever it is that was done to him, not only was it done by Odin himself, it was done using the Tesseract. And since we haven't heard from Thor in months..."

" _It's good odds that the Chitauri took the Tesseract when they took Loki. Martin, is there any chance that he's playing you?_ "

"I don't think so, Sir," Martin answered. "Violet says he has no memories. Accessing them under hypnosis causes him pain--"

" _You can get at them?_ "

"Only by putting him so deeply into trance that I had to control his breathing."

He heard Fury curse softly. " _All right. What's your plan now?_ "

"Now? Well, Christmas dinner is at six. Will you be joining us?"

" _You know, this year? I just might. Anything else?_ "

"We're creating a cover for him. Luke Huggett, a distant cousin of mine. That way, if he never regains his memory, he'll at least have a life."

" _You're a soft touch, Martin. All right. See you next week. Out._ "

Martin hung up and leaned back in his chair. Anyone else? Oh, yes.

"Good evening, Douglas!"

" _There you are! I was about to send the cavalry! I went by the townhouse this afternoon, and you weren't there--"_

"We left this morning. We're in Sussex."

" _And our... passenger?_ "

"Still with us. His memory is gone, Douglas. He doesn't remember who he is or what he's done. And... there's a good chance that he won't get that back."

" _Oh. Oh, dear. And... you've gone and adopted him, haven't you?"_

Martin laughed. "You know me so well. His name is Luke now. Luke Huggett. I'll introduce you again when we see you next. I think you'll like him."

" _I think you're insane._ "

"You had a doubt about that?" Martin asked. "Give Helena my love, will you? And come down for the New Year."

" _Assuming we're all still alive, we will. Ta._ "

#

The rest of the evening was quiet. Martin came out of his office to find that Jim and Willow had taken Loki for a walk. When they came back, it was long after dark, and dinner was waiting. As they sat down to dinner, Martin noticed that Loki seemed more relaxed. When John asked where they had been, Jim called it a meeting of like minds, and seemed to be daring someone to ask for details. No one did.

After dinner, they all went into the library, where John goaded Sherlock into playing violin for them. On the couch, Martin sat with Livvy on his left, and Loki on his right. Violet danced around the room, and when Sherlock finished, got her own small violin from its case so they could play a duet.

"She's very good," Loki murmured.

"She's got a good teacher," Martin answered. "Liv plays, too. The three of them together are wonderful."

Across the room, Martin saw Jim arch an eyebrow at John, who grinned in response. Jim nodded and left, coming back a few minutes later with a box. "Sherlock," he said. "I wanted your opinion on this."

He handed the box to Sherlock, who opened it and looked up in surprise. "Where did this come from?" he asked, taking a violin from the box. Even to Martin's uneducated eye, it looked old and worn.

"Wow," Willow said. "That's really old, isn't it?"

"Yes. It was my grandfather's," Jim answered. "It was in pretty bad shape when I found it. Just got it back from the luthier. Do you think it's playable?"

Sherlock examined the violin closely, then tucked it under his chin and picked up his bow, drawing it across the strings. The chord was sweet and clear, and Livvy hummed approvingly as Sherlock started to play.

"That's lovely," she said as the music faded away. "Jim, are you going to take lessons?"

"No," Jim answered. He smiled at the look of shock on Sherlock's face. "Happy Christmas, love."

"Jim!"

"No, I want you to have it. Grandda always wanted me to learn, but I never did. Now, it's way too late. I'm too old. But it suits you. So you'll play it for me, all right? And when the time comes, our girl will play it. Right, Vee?"

"I can play your grandpa's violin?" Violet sounded giddy in her excitement.

"When you're bigger, sweetheart," Martin called.

"Oh." She frowned, then looked up. "Grampy John, you said I'm growing all the time, aren't I?"

"Yes, that's right," John answered, looking a little confused at the conversation change.

"Okay. Papa, I'm bigger now!"

#

"She's very funny," Loki said as he followed Martin and Livvy up the stairs.

"Violet? Oh, yes. She's amazingly smart. Half the time, we don't know what's going to come out of her mouth." Livvy turned and smiled fondly. "Papa says I was the same way."

"I hope we don't have any little Sherlocks in there, though," Martin added. "Mycroft has been telling me about Sherlock as a child, and I think it will take a small army to contain two of them."

"If you had ever had a chance to listen to Grandmother, Papa was just as bad."

"We're doomed." Martin grinned, then blinked in confusion as Loki turned the wrong way down the hall. "Where are you going?"

Loki turned, one eyebrow arched. "To bed?"

"Bed is this way." Martin pointed.

"The duke room is down here."

"Ah. Let me clarify. Our bed is this way. If you still want to be in it?"

Loki's mouth opened slightly. His eyes widened, and he swallowed. "I... wasn't sure the offer still stood."

"The offer right now is doing handstands. Coming?" Martin held his hand out. Loki didn't hesitate, his hand closing around Martin's. Martin pulled Loki in close and put his other arm around Livvy. "Now, if you decide to change your mind, that's fine. You can say no to anything. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's get ready for bed."

Loki was ready first, and was lying on his side in the middle of the big bed when Martin got there. Livvy was on her side of the bed, facing him.

"You're fretting for nothing, Luke," she was saying. "We're not going to throw you out in the snow just because you say no to something. You're the one in charge. You can say yes, no, or do that again to anything."

"And no means no. Always," Martin added. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll never break that trust. Ever."

Loki rolled onto his back and looked at Martin. "That is important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." He smiled slightly and pushed the covers down. "Come to bed."

Martin slipped into bed and pulled the blankets up. He stayed propped up on his elbow, looking down at Loki. "What would you like?" he asked.

Loki looked up at him, and his face slowly turned pink. "Will you kiss me again?" he asked.

"Whatever you want, Luke. You have only to ask."  


	17. Chapter 17

 They hadn't closed the curtains, and Martin woke up with the sun shining in his eyes. He grumbled and rolled onto his side, curling around the warm body next to him. Scent was different. Feel of the skin was different....

Oh. Right.

Opening his eyes, he could see the back of Loki's head, dark, tangled hair spread out on the pillows, and silvery scars on his back and shoulders. Past him, Martin could see Livvy, asleep with her head pillowed on Loki's outstretched arm. Gently, not wanting to wake him, Martin slid one arm around Loki and kissed his bare shoulder.

Now, in the light of the morning after the night before, he was almost certain that Loki had been a virgin. The sheer delight and amazement that Loki had shown made Martin wonder. Had no one ever before touched this man in love, and meant it?

"You're thinking very loudly," Loki murmured.

"Don't worry. This room has dampeners," Livvy answered without opening her eyes.

"That isn't what he meant," Martin said. He kissed Loki's shoulder again. Loki turned, smiling over his shoulder at Martin. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Loki reached back, catching Martin around the back of the neck and pulling him close to kiss him. Then he turned back and kissed Livvy, who smiled, but didn't release Loki's arm.

"What are you thinking, Sir Darling?" she asked.

"That even after Luke does get his memory back, we're not letting him leave," Martin answered, putting his arm around Loki once more.

"You're just now reaching that point?" Livvy asked. "I'd decided that last night."

"I'm a little slow."

"But you're decorative. I think I'll keep you. Keep you both." Livvy grinned. "I wouldn't mind having a live-in, too."

"You both are serious?" Loki asked. "You want me to stay, really?"

"Really. And permanently. If that meets with your approval?" Martin asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

Loki rolled onto his back, his eyes wide. He looked very young and very vulnerable. "You want me to stay?" he repeated. His voice, and Martin's heart, broke on the final word.

"Yes," he said, reaching out and pulling Loki into his arms, holding him tightly as Livvy rubbed his back. "Yes, we want you to stay. And yes, we'll keep saying that until you believe it. You're ours now."

"Luke darling, we'd never have asked you into our bed if we didn't want you to be part of our lives," Livvy added. She sat up and reached out to brush Loki's hair off his face. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. You're here now, and we love you."

"We'll keep telling you that, too," Martin murmured into Loki's hair, then kissed Loki's forehead. Loki shivered, then looked up and smiled.

"I don't know what I'm feeling," he said. "Not afraid. Not any more. I don't know to put a name on it, but there's so much of it."

"We'll figure it out together," Livvy said. She took one of Loki's hands in hers, kissed the back, then let it go. "I'm sorry. I need to get up."

"Are you all right?" Martin asked.

"My back is stiff, and my leg hurts. And the usual morning complaint. And I'm hungry." She smiled and ran her fingers down Loki's arm. "Don't rush on my account."

She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Martin watched her go, then looked down at Loki. "Well? Breakfast, or stay in bed?"

Loki frowned. "You're going to make me choose?"

"We could always have breakfast in bed," Martin suggested. "Or we could just eat later."

Loki grinned. "Eat later."

#

Sated, sweat-damp, Martin lay on his back with his eyes closed, enjoying the warm weight on his chest, hovering between awake and asleep.

"She didn't come out."

Martin smiled and ran one hand lazily over Loki's back. Then he actually heard what Loki had said.

"What?"

"Olivia. she never came out of the bathroom."

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed with you being able to notice that, or disappointed with myself that you were able to notice that," Martin said with a laugh. "You probably didn't notice last night. That's a shared bath. There's a single room on the other side of it, and Liv probably went out that way."

"Ah." Loki fell silent, his cheek warm on Martin's chest. Martin started stroking Loki's long hair, combing his fingers gently through the thick strands.

"Why?" Loki asked softly.

Martin nodded. He'd been waiting for this. "I'm going to have to tell you a story to answer that."

"All right."

"Once upon a time..." Martin began. "There was a boy who wanted to fly. It was all he ever wanted, but everyone in his family told him he'd never do it. That he was too stupid, too worthless to ever amount to anything. That he'd never be good enough. The only person who ever told him he could was his mother, but she died when he was seven. She told him, though, that she believed in him, that he would fly. So he held on to that, no matter what else anyone told him.

"He grew up, and left home. And eventually, he learned to fly. But he'd spent pretty much his whole life being told that he was worthless and useless, that he'd never be good enough. You can't live like that without eventually believing it. So he did. And he never tried. He never stood up for himself, for anything. Because what was the point? It wasn't as if he deserved more than what he had. He believed that. And even though he could fly, he wasn't happy.

"Then he met the king's daughter. And for the first time in his adult life, someone looked at him and didn't see someone who was worthless. She looked at him, and she saw someone worthy. She saw in him her perfect knight. And she taught him to see himself the way she saw him. How to be that man. How to stand and fight. How to really fly."

"That was you?" Loki asked, softly.

"Yes. I still backslide. I still have what Liv calls my black moods. You can't be beat down for that long and come all the way back in only a handful of years. But she loved me, even then. Even when I was that useless, worthless piece of shit."

"You never were that!"

"Now you sound like her," Martin said. He hugged Loki tightly to his side. ""You remind me of myself, back then. Waiting for the next kick, waiting for the next time I was going to be pushed back and pushed down. The next time I was going to be told that I was not now and never would be good enough. Afraid to move forward, because someone was always there to knock me back hard and put me in my place." He paused. "John says you reminded him of that, too. Of me, seven years ago. And I can't help but wonder why. I know enough about you that I can't even imagine what it would be, what was done to you to leave you so wounded?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I suppose not," Martin answered. He raised his head and met Loki's eyes. "I'll be honest, though. Thinking like this, part of me is wondering if it isn't the best for you to not have those memories. You're free of most of it. The emotions are still there, so you'll still react, even though you might not know why you react. But the memories... they can't hurt you any more. You can live without them."

Loki propped himself up, frowning. "So you think I'm better off?"

"You very well might be, yes."

"And if I get them back?"

Martin clearly heard the question inside the question. "I'll still love you. You'll still be part of this family. And you can still stay, if you want."

Loki relaxed, resting his forehead on Martin's shoulder. "Thank you," he said, his voice muffled. Martin turned and kissed the top of his head.

"Hungry?"

"Yes."

"Come on, then. Let's shower and go see if we're the last ones out of bed."

#

Violet met them on the stairs, at a dead run. "Papa! Papa, the tree is here. And it's snowing again!"

"Is it?" Martin asked as he scooped the child up. "You're almost too big for this, Poppet. So, we have a tree?"

"Yes, Papa, and it's a beautiful tree! Mama says it's prettier than last year."

"Your mother says that every year," Martin answered with a smile. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, ages ago," Violet said, playing with the buttons on the cardigan Martin had put on against the chill in the air. "Mama told Edmund to keep things warm for you and Uncle Luke. Then can we go play in the snow?"

"May we?" Martin corrected, amused by the stunned look on Loki's face.

"May we go play in the snow? Please?" Violet repeated. "Granda says he'll come, and Grampy John and Jimmy. And Auntie Willow. And Mama says I may if you say I can. So please?"

"If you mind yourself while Luke and I eat. Now go on." He set Violet down, and she scampered back down the stairs.

"Uncle Luke?" Loki whispered.

"Objections?" Martin asked.

Loki looked thoughtful, then his face slowly relaxed into a wide smile. "Not a one."

"Good. Let's eat."

#

Martin came inside, brushing snow out of his hair, listening to the laughter from outside. "What is it, Edmund?"

"A car has arrived, Sir."

"A car?" Martin frowned. "Who is in the car?"

"Captain Rogers, Doctor Banner, Miss Romanov and Mister Barton."

"Oh," Martin said, surprised, and a little disappointed at the one missing name. "They're early."

"Indeed, Sir. I've had the maids start preparing their usual rooms."

"Very good, Edmund. I'll go meet them. Where have you put them?"

"They're in the sitting room, Sir."

Martin nodded and started down the hall, towards the sitting room at the front of the house. Edmund had apparently also thought to have tea served, since Natasha was sipping a cup as Martin entered the room. She smiled as he came in.

"This is a pleasant surprise. We weren't expecting you early." Martin said, looking around. Steve and Bruce were standing near the fireplace, and Steve turned at the sound of his voice.

"We just wanted to--"

"They don't believe me," Natasha said.

"Honestly, were you expecting us to?" Bruce asked. "Given everything that he's done, all the damage he caused."

"He's a trickster," Steve added. "Martin, you can't trust him."

"I can, because he's not Loki. Not anymore. And, unless you want to catch him when falls, don't tell him he is." Martin turned and looked at the others. "I know I've not got the same experiences that you all have. But trust me what I say that this is not the same man who destroyed New York."

"I'll want to be sure of that," Steve said.

"Of course. Put your coat back on. We're going back outside."

"Why?" Bruce asked.

"Because your murderous trickster is right now having a snowball fight with my daughter. And he's losing."

#

They could hear Violet laughing even before they came out onto the terrace. Livvy and Sherlock were standing at the railing, looking down onto the lawn. Livvy turned and laughed as they came out. "Steve! Bruce! How lovely to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too," Steve said, leaning down to kiss Livvy on the cheek. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you," Livvy said. She hugged Bruce, then turned back to the rail. "They've decided that it's Violet, John and Jimmy against Luke and Willow. And Willow went down a few minutes ago. Then she went in. She's soaked through, and wants to change."

As they watched, Loki popped up from behind a makeshift snowfort and threw a snowball at Jimmy. It exploded into sparkling powder as it hit his chest, and Jimmy went over backwards, howling with laughter.

"You can't hide, John!" Loki shouted, coming out from behind the fort. He was carrying a pair of snowballs in one hand, and was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm going to find you."

"Look over there," Natasha whispered, pointing. Martin looked, and saw Violet creeping through the hedges at the edge of the terrace. Martin bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. He looked back at Steve and Bruce, both of whom wore serious expressions.

"Just watch," Livvy said softly. "Clint, you can join them later."

"It looks like fun."

"It's great fun, but if you join in now, you'll spoil Vee's stalk," Jim said as he came up onto the terrace. "Hello, Clint."

"Hi, Jim. All right. I can wait."

Loki trailed closer to the edge of the terrace, walking oddly.

"He knows she's there!" Bruce whispered.

"Of course he does," Martin said. "I told you. He's losing. This is the third stalk he's 'fallen' for. She'll figure it out soon, and get indignant over being allowed to win."

Steve grinned. "He's playing?"

"He's having the time of his life."

Loki turned his back to the hedges, and Violet burst out and ran at him. She threw a snowball, which sailed past Loki. He turned, and yelped as she barreled into him and carried him over backward into the snow. When the flying snow settled, Violet was sitting on Loki's stomach, and had dropped a double handful of snow on his chest. Loki sprawled obligingly in the snow, arms spread wide as he played dead. Martin heard muffled giggles from behind him, and wondered who it was.

"I win!" Violet crowed.

"Nicely done!" Natasha called. Violet turned. Her eyes widened and she shrieked, "You're here!" She scrambled off of Loki, and Martin heard a yelp. He winced and ran down the stairs. He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced back to see Steve at his heels.

Loki was curled on his side in the snow, looking pained. Martin knelt down next to him and asked. "Are you all right?"

"Never having children," Loki wheezed. Then he laughed. "That was fun. She's getting better. I didn't see her until she reached the break in the hedge."

Martin laughed with him and took his hand, helping him to stand.

"You're sure you're all right?" Steve asked.

"Luke, this is Captain Steve Rogers. He's a friend. Steve, this is Luke Huggett, my cousin."

Loki smiled and straightened, holding out one hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Captain. And thank you. I'm fine."

"Good." Steve took Loki's hand and shook it, then looked him up and down. "Heard a bit about you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

"Thank you." Loki grinned and looked up toward the house. His eyes widened slightly, and he looked back at Steve. "You know..."

"Good guess."

"You're here with Natasha and Clint. You have to know. And you're still pleased to meet me?"

"I'm happy to meet the man you are now, Luke," Steve said with a smile. "Looks like you've gotten a second chance. Let's see what you do with it."

Loki's eyes widened. Then he smiled broadly. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Come on and meet the others," Martin said. "John! It's over!"

"What?"

Martin turned, only to find John standing next to Sherlock on the terrace. "How did you get up there?" Martin asked.

"I've been in the house. Were you looking for me?"

Loki burst out laughing. "And here I thought you just found a good hiding spot! I've been looking for you for the past two games!"

Violet came skipping down the stairs, ran over to Loki and hugged him. "Mama says I have to say sorry 'cause I kicked you. Sorry, Uncle Luke."

"It's all right. It was an accident," Loki said, kneeling in the snow next to Violet. "I know you didn't mean it."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No." Loki smiled, picked up a thimble-worth of snow and brushed it on Violet's nose. "There. All forgiven."

She laughed and hugged him. Steve looked at Martin and nodded.

"You're in time for lunch," Martin said as he led Steve back up onto the terrace. "It should be soon."

"And I told Edmund that we might be wanting something warm. He'll have tea and hot chocolate in the library when we come in."

"Good." Martin said. He turned slightly, and saw Violet whispering in Loki's ear. Saw the devilish grin on Loki's face and the impish delight on Violet's. Livvy caught his eye and held it, and he smiled. She smiled in return and stepped back, into Sherlock's shadow.

"We've just gotten the tree this morning, so you're in time to help us decorate it," Martin said, drawing everyone's attention to him. Five, four, three, two, one...

One snowball exploded on the middle of Clint's chest. A second snowball caromed off Steve's shoulder and liberally dusted Bruce with loose snow. Natasha burst out laughing.

"Uncle Luke?" Martin heard Violet ask. "Now what?"

"This was your plan. You tell me."

"Umm... maybe we should run?"

"That's a good idea," Clint called, just before he vaulted over the railing.

"Be careful of Violet!" Martin called, as the rest of the Avengers dove, laughing, into the fray.

"They've accepted him?" Livvy asked, watching as the snow flew, thick enough that it was hard to see who was who.

"Steve has. The others will follow."

"And Tony?"

"Didn't come with them. I didn't ask."

"How long should we let them children play?" she asked.

"Ah... until they run out of snow?"

"Ten minutes?"

"Or thereabouts, yes."

#

They had lunch around the large table in the formal dining room, and it was a loud, laughing affair, one of the merriest that Martin remembered. The snowball fight had opened something, and Loki seemed at ease with the newcomers, laughing with Natasha and having to be stopped from throwing something across the table at Clint. After lunch, as Livvy led them to the great hall to decorate the tree, Steve took Martin aside.

"I know it's him," he said. "But... it isn't. You're right."

"Thanks. For accepting him," Martin said. He looked through the double doors and smiled. Loki had taken Violet onto his shoulders so that she could hang tinsel near the top of the tree. "I've offered him a place with us. And he's accepted it. I think."

"Will he get his memories back, do you think?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Not without the Tesseract." Martin sighed. "Any news?"

"From Asgard? None."

"Damn." Martin shook his head. "All right. Let's go decorate and hope for the best."

#

Between the laughter and the conversation, Martin didn't notice the overly-loud footsteps until it was too late. The double doors slammed open, and Ironman stood framed in the doorway. Martin had just enough time to recognize the familiar red-and-gold figure before he raised his hand and aimed a repulsor ray at Loki.

And Violet.


	18. Chapter 18

 For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, everything happened at once. John and Sherlock, who were standing closest to Loki and Violet, both moved. John grabbed Loki, and Sherlock plucked Violet from his shoulders as John dragged them all behind a couch for cover. A swirling white vortex opened in the spot where Loki had been standing, swallowing the blast from Ironman's repulsor before winking out of sight. As it vanished, Willow stepped in front of the couch, her hands glowing as she raised a shield between herself and the doors.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Steve shouted. Tony didn't answer. He came further into the room, raised his hand again, and aimed once more. And Martin found himself moving, drawing power, and _reaching_....

Ironman was surrounded by a thick, blue cloud that enveloped him completely and lifted him off the floor. Martin could see the glow of thrusters through the cloud, and felt the pull of resistance as Tony tried to break free.

"Oh, no. You're not going anywhere," he snarled, and started towards the door, pulling Ironman behind him like an ungainly balloon.

"Martin... what are you doing? Martin, put me down!"

Martin didn't answer, walking out of the house and onto the terrace, then down onto the lawn, making his way through churned up snow to the edge of the manicured area. He turned and faced the still-floating Ironman for a moment, noticing that Steve, Clint and Natasha had followed him, and that the others were on the terrace.

"Martin, this isn't funny anymore!"

"You're right, Tony. It isn't," Martin answered. He raised his hand, and brought it down hard, slamming the armored figure into the ground, hard enough that he felt the ground shake. To his mild surprise, the other Avengers said nothing.

Ironman got slowly to his feet, and the faceplate of the helmet retracted. "Martin!"

"Shut up," Martin said, his voice low. "How dare you?"

"You know what he did--"

"How _dare_ you!" Martin shouted. "You came into my house, you opened fire on my guests.... you..." He stopped, clenching his fists. "You. Tried. To kill. My. Daughter."

"Martin!"

"Tony, do yourself a favor and just shut up," Bruce said, coming out of the woods towards them. He looked at Martin and smiled slightly. "I... thought it would be best to get myself as far out of the way as I could. We didn't want the big guy in the house."

"That was very thoughtful, Bruce. Thank you," Martin answered. He looked up at the terrace, saw Loki standing next to Livvy. He was carrying Violet, who had her face buried in his shoulder. "Tony, I want you to look. And trust me when I say if you try to fire on my family again, I will destroy that armor."

Tony scowled, but he turned and looked up toward the house; even at a distance, Martin saw Loki flinch away. He turned, and Livvy put her arm around him. Then Sherlock and John stepped in front of them, forming a human shield. It wouldn't stop a repulsor blast, and they all knew it. But as a symbol, it was enough.

"You can't possibly believe him--"

"I do," Steve interrupted.

Natasha nodded. "So do I."

"Tony, it's exactly the way the report read," Bruce said. "He's got no memory. Of any of it. He's entirely another person."

"That's what he wants you to think!" Tony snapped.

"Tony, it's the truth," Martin said, his voice low. "If you gave him a chance, you might even like him."

"Oh, no!" Tony said, shaking his head. "No one can change that much!"

Martin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He let his breath out in a huff. "You're right. Of course you're right. That would be... like a careless, philandering, war-mongering drunkard becoming a superhero."

Tony stared at him for a moment, then said, "That's low, Crieff."

"Oh, well, then it should be just at the right height for you, shouldn't it?"

Martin wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that Steve started laughing first. Tony blinked, then shook his head. "All right. Fine. You made your point. I'll be civil. Can we go in?"

"Wait, you think I'm going to let you back in my house?" Martin asked. "After you tried to kill my daughter?"

"I'm sorry, Martin."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, Tony." Martin pointed toward the house. "They're up there."

They walked slowly back to the terrace, but by the time they got to the top of the stairs, there was no one there. Edmund met them at the door, and Martin was stunned to see the high-powered rifle he was carrying, and that he had aimed at Tony.

"Edmund?"

"Sir," Edmund said. He looked Tony up and down, lowered the rifle, then looked back at Martin. "Would you like for me to take out the trash, Sir?"

"Hey!"

"Edmund, I'll handle this. Thank you."

Edmund arched an eyebrow, then nodded and turned.

"Edmund, where is everyone?"

"Lady Crieff, Master Sherlock and Doctor Watson took Miss Violet to her room. I believe Doctor Watson may have been considering administering a sedative. The young Miss was quite upset. Naturally, I have no idea why--"

"Edmund..."

"Master Luke is with Mister Moran and Miss Rosenberg in the library, Mister Moran said something about anyone disturbing them should expect to be condemned to the ninth level of Hell," Edmund finished as if he hadn't heard Martin's warning. "Will there be anything else, Sir?"

"Ah... no, Edmund. Thank you."

"Edmund?" Natasha asked. "MI-5?"

Edmund smiled. "As you like, Miss Romanov." He nodded, then turned back into the house.

Martin sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"Martin..."

"Tony, just... shut up. Steve?"

"Yes?"

"I'll meet you all in the sitting room. I need to go check on my ladies. Would you do me the great favor of sitting on Tony until I get there?"

Before Steve could answer, John and Sherlock came out onto the terrace. John looked as angry as Martin had ever seen him. And, even more frightening, Sherlock's face had no expression at all.

"You realize that I could kill you," he said softly. "And that I could do so in such a way that no one would ever find your body?"

"No fair stealing all the fun, my dove," Jim crooned from behind Sherlock. "I'd enjoy helping on that."

Martin looked up and saw Loki standing behind Jim, Willow at his side. He looked nervous as he met Martin's eyes. Then he glanced at Willow, who nodded. She squeezed his arm and pushed him forward.

"Go on," she said.

He looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Jim says so. I believe him."

"Trust me. It will help," Jim added. Loki looked at him, shrugged, then stepped forward, brushing past Sherlock to stand in front of Tony. He looked at him for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You scared her," Loki said softly. "You... you terrified her."

Tony looked away. "Yeah... sorry about--"

Loki hit him, hard enough to throw himself off balance. Tony staggered back a step, and Steve caught Loki before he fell, pulling him away from Tony. And when Tony took a step forward, Martin stepped in his way.

"I think you had that coming," Martin said quietly. "And I think you're going to take it." He turned, saw the puzzled look on Bruce's face, but didn't stop to wonder why. "Luke?"

"I'm fine," he said. He held up his hand, showing off blood-streaked knuckles. "Caught the edge of the armor, I think."

"Go on upstairs, let Liv patch you up. Violet will probably appreciate having you there when she wakes up."

Loki hesitated, then nodded, looking over his shoulder at Steve. "You can let me go. I won't hit him again."

"Just making sure," Steve said. Loki nodded once more and stared towards the door. He stopped just before he went inside.

"You were wrong, Jim," he said without turning. "It didn't help. It didn't make me feel any better."

#

"So... still think he's trying to trick us?" Natasha asked as she sat down in the library.

"He was more upset that you scared Violet," Steve added. "He didn't seem to care that you tried to kill him. He was upset that you scared her."

"He doesn't care," Jim said. He accepted a glass of whiskey from John and sat down. "He honestly doesn't care that you were going to kill him. And for all I can tell, he might have welcomed it."

"What?" Martin gasped.

"Look, he's got nothing except for the people in this house, barring certain tin-plated idiots." Jim rolled his glass between his hands. "Martin, you and Liv and Violet are right now his entire world. You are everything he has to live for... and his very presence here is putting you in danger."

"So right now, he'd walk in front of a bus to keep you three safe," Steve finished. "That's... not what I expected."

"Jim, are you telling me that he's suicidal?" Martin asked.

"Not yet," Jim answered. "Maybe, if Violet had actually gotten hurt because he was holding her."

"He's got no sense of self-worth, and he's got no foundation to build one on." Willow said. "You've had him for just over a day. You can't fix things that fast. Maybe if he spent some time with John?"

"I should go check on him anyway. That hand looked nasty," John said, standing up. "I hope he didn't break anything--"

"And there's the thing," Bruce said abruptly. "He hit Tony, and threw himself off balance. It was as if he didn't know how to place himself. That's... impossible. He's a trained warrior, an Asgardian warrior. We all saw him fight. And... Tony, am I remembering right that this wasn't the first time he's hit you?"

"Not so much hit as..." Tony stopped, looked startled. "As picked me up with one hand and threw me through a shatter-resistant window. He should have knocked me back into the woods just now!"

"But he didn't. He couldn't, because he's human now," Martin said. "Loki is gone, and he may never be coming back. Right now, the person you just tried to kill is as innocent of any wrong-doing as Violet."

"You really think he won't get his memories back?" Tony asked.

"Not without the Tesseract, no," Martin answered. "That's how this was done, in case that report didn't get to you. I put him into a deep enough trance that I was having to keep him breathing. But we got through the block. Or under it. Odin did this to him. It was meant to be permanent."

"Punishment?" Clint asked.

"No," Martin said. He glanced out the window. Was it getting dark already? "No, to give him a second chance."

"And now he's got one, assuming that he's allowed to have it." John nodded. "Excuse me, please?"

"Tell Liv I'll be up to check on them in a bit," Martin called as John left the library. Then he blinked as his ears popped, and saw Willow shake her head.

"Will?"

"Something... odd?" She looked at Martin, then looked around. "Outside. Outside now!" She was out of her seat and running before she finished speaking, and Martin followed her, heading towards the front door. As they burst out into the cold, he saw it -- a vortex opening in the sky, swirling with glowing magics the likes of which he'd never seen before.

"Tell me that isn't what I think it is?" he called.

"What do you think it is?" Natasha asked. "That's... not the same kind of thing the Chitauri came through."

"Then what it is?" Bruce asked.

Without warning, Martin's ears popped again, and the vortex winked closed. But now they could see a single dark figure falling...

Tony's voice was amplified by his faceplate as he took to the sky: "That's Thor!"

 


	19. Chapter 19

 Livvy looked up from her sleeping daughter as someone tapped on the bedroom door. Caval, laying across the foot of the bed, looked up, snorted, then lowered his head. She smiled. "Come in, Luke."

He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. "How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"Caval. If it was anyone other than you or Martin, he'd have started barking. John would knock and come right in. Sherlock wouldn't knock at all."

Loki nodded, then held up one bloody hand. "Martin said to ask you to make it better."

"Luke! What did you do?" Livvy got up and took Loki's unwounded hand, leading him into the bathroom.

"I hit him. The idiot who tried to hurt Violet."

"You hit Tony? While he was still in his armor?" Livvy shook her head and held Loki's hand under cold water. "Can you bend your fingers? Does it hurt?"

"I don't think anything is broken, if that's what you're asking."

"That's good. I wouldn't want to have to take you to the A&E. Not until I have your paperwork finished. What on earth possessed you?"

"Jim said it would help. That it would make me feel better." Loki shook his head. "It didn't."

"Because that's what works for Jimmy." Livvy took a box out of a cabinet, took out bandages and ointment. "If he can't fix it, he uses a bigger hammer."

"Hammer?" Loki looked startled. "What hammer?"

"Figuratively, Luke."

"No... no, there's a hammer." Loki pulled away. "I... it's important."

"We'll figure it out later, Luke," Livvy said gently. "Let me finish with your hand."

Loki let her bandage his hand, then followed her out of the bathroom. "How is she?" he asked.

"Scared. She loves Tony, and the fact that he tried to hurt you, and her..." Livvy stopped, sitting ack down on the bed and reaching out to smooth Violet's red curls. "I think she was more upset that Tony was trying to hurt you."

"I could say the same thing in reverse," Loki said softly. "How can he be so afraid of me, of what I was, that he'd risk destroying all of you, just to kill me? And he's... powerful. Olivia, what did I _do_?"

"Luke, I don't know how much I can tell you without hurting you."

Loki snorted and started pacing. "Hurt me? Oh, trust me, this... this _not knowing_ , not knowing why I am a threat to you, to her, and to Martin? This hurts far worse than anything you could do."

Livvy hesitated for a moment, then turned, taking her iPad out of the bedside table. She pulled up images of New York, in the days after the invasion. She got up and went to the couch, saying, "Come and sit with me." Loki came over and sat down next to her, and she passed the tablet to him. "This is what you did," she said.

Loki didn't say anything for a moment, but his face went ashen as he saw the first picture. "How... how do I work this?" he said, his voice hoarse. Livvy showed him, and he scrolled through the images, studying each one. When an image of Stark Tower appeared, Livvy stopped him.

"That is why Tony feels so strongly. That's his home."

Loki nodded without speaking. When he was done, he set the tablet down and covered his face with his hands. "How many people died?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"I don't know," Livvy answered, touching his arm. "I can find out, if you think that it is something you need to know."

"I... I didn't do this all myself, did I?" Loki asked, dropping his hands. "I couldn't have... I wasn't _that_ powerful, was I?"

"As far as I know, no. You were working with the Chitauri."

Loki shook his head. "No... no, I couldn't have been. Not... not with _them_." He looked at Livvy, his face a study in conflicting emotions. "I... is that why they had me? Why they..." He shook his head again and lurched to his feet. "I don't _understand_!"

"I wish I could tell you," Livvy said, setting the tablet on the table. "I don't know why they targeted you--"

"No. No, Olivia. You knew I did that. You knew... and Martin knows. And yet, I'm here. With you, with your family." Loki stopped in front of her. "Why didn't you let him kill me?"

Livvy licked her lips, wondering how she could get John in here without leaving Loki alone, then dismissing the idea. She'd have to handle this herself. "Oh, my dear" She reached out and took his hand, pulling him back down onto the couch. "Look at me. No, look at me, Luke." She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I don't want you to die, Luke. I don't think you should. Not for that."

"How many people did I kill, Olivia?" he asked.

"By your own hands? One that I know of."

Loki frowned. "You just told me... you just _showed_ me--"

"That damage was done by the Chitauri. You opened the gate that brought them into New York."

He shook his head. "Then it's just semantics. I brought them, the blood is on my hands."

Olivia smiled slightly, bringing his head up to that he was looking at her again. "And that is why we won't let anyone kill you, Luke. Because before you would have never taken the blame. Or the guilt."

"I wouldn't have?"

"No. You've changed." Livvy stroked his cheekbone with her thumb. "Darling, one of my grandfathers taught me that a man is the sum of his memories. The man that did those things? He isn't you. And if you do get your memories back? Then he still won't be you, because you have changed."

Loki was still for moment, then turned his head and kissed her palm. "You truly think that?"

"If I didn't, you'd never have been in our bed last night." Livvy slid her hand around to cup the back of Loki's neck and pulled him closer. "And you wouldn't be there tonight... and every night from now on."

His reaction wasn't what she expected. He shuddered, then hugged her, tightly, his face buried in her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and held on, knowing the worst was past.

There was a knock, and the door opened. John stepped in and arched an eyebrow. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"I think so," Livvy answered, rubbing the back of Loki's neck with one hand. "I think we're all right now."

Loki nodded. He pulled back, meeting Livvy's eyes. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. "Yes, we are," he said.

"Good. Let's have a look at that hand," John said. He came toward them, then looked out the window. "What the fuck?"

Livvy turned and saw the vortex. "What in Earth...?"

"No. Nothing on Earth," Loki said.

"Is that... is there something falling?" John gasped.

A streak of red, gold and blue listed off and angled toward what Livvy could now see was a falling body. She looked up at John, her eyes wide. He looked back at her, his face serious.

"Where do you keep the guns in here, Livvy?" he asked. "I think we may need them."

"Closet safe. The combination is Daddy's birthday."

#

Martin came down the steps as Ironman landed on the drive and lay down the body that he'd caught in mid-air. "He's alive!" Tony shouted. "Where's John?"

Before anyone could answer, Thor groaned and rolled over, shaking his head. "Where... ?" he gasped as he looked around. "I... I made it?"

"Depends on where you were trying to go?" Martin said, crouching down. Thor looked up and smiled.

"Here. I was trying to come here. To you."

"Well, your aim was about a half-mile off," Tony said as he and Martin helped Thor to his feet. Thor blinked, looking up at the house, and at the people standing on the stairs.

"You're all here?" he asked. "This... is better that I could have hoped."

"We've had an eventful few days," Martin said. "Come inside."

Thor shook his head, bending down and picking Mjolnir up. "I've no time. Where is he, Martin? Heimdel said I would find him with you."

"You're here for Loki?" Tony asked. "Well, that solves things."

"He is here, Thor. But he's... well, he's not Loki any more."

Thor stopped. "What does that mean?"

"He's human now. And he doesn't remember anything," Martin said. "So maybe you can fill us all in on what did happen? Because when we found him, he'd escaped from the Chitauri."

Thor nodded. "It's a long story, though. I must be quick. I need to return to Asgard before the sun sets, or I'll be trapped here."

Martin looked up at the sky, then at his watch. "Then you'd better talk fast."

#

"... the Ljósálfar and the Dökkálfar have fallen. Asgard is mostly in ruins, but we still hold the line. No one knows if Odin is alive or dead. Now the Chitauri look to turn on our last allies, the Jotuns. And that is why I need Loki to return with me."

"Wait, I missed something," Natasha said. "Why?"

"Because Loki is heir to their throne," Thor answered. "There is... so much I didn't know. I knew he was adopted. I knew he was a Jotun. But I never knew that he was born to be their king. His mother still lives, and she has formed an alliance with us--"

"On the grounds that you return her son," Sherlock finished.

"Yes."

"And what if he doesn't want to leave?" Sherlock asked.

Thor frowned. "He must!"

"No, actually, he doesn't," John said from the doorway. "Because the man you're looking for, and the man I just spoke to a few minutes ago, are not the same person. Now, I have a question for you."

"Of course."

"Explain to me why someone who was raised as a prince of your people has so many emotional scars that having someone care for him is a revelation?" John asked. "Tell me why that young man thinks that he isn't worth being loved. Why, when he found out that I didn't quite trust him yet, it was as if I'd slapped him in the face? Tell me that."

"Johnny?"

"Not now, Jim. I'm..." John glared at Thor, then looked around the room. "Liv didn't know I was outside the door. Luke asked why Tony would risk hurting Violet to kill him, and she showed him pictures of New York."

"She what?" Martin gasped.

"And what was his reaction?" Thor asked.

"He wanted to know how many people died. That was his first question. He is... horrified. And frightened. Because now there are the Chitauri after him, and there are some powerful people on this planet who want him dead, and he's put this family in danger, just by being here."

"He said that?" Thor asked. "That is not what I would have expected. Not from him."

"Right. So tell me why having people treat him with a little kindness gets this kind of reaction?" John folded his arms across his chest. "Because if I'm not satisfied with your answer, you can't have him."

"I should mention that I've granted him guest-right," Martin said quietly. Thor looked at him, then nodded.

"Loki... he's my brother. No matter what, I do care for him. He's always been my brother, my friend. Even..." he shrugged. "But he is... different. His magic, his ways. He's not like me, not like the others that we were raised with. And that difference..."

"Made him a target," Martin said.

"Yes. I tried to shield him from it. But... Martin, do you remember when we met, I asked you if you were a seithman?"

"Yes. And you asked if Douglas was... oh." Martin rubbed his forehead. "Loki is a seithman."

"He is _seithskratti,_ " Thor said. "I knew. I always knew. I tried to protect him, but... it was someone he should have known better than to approach. And after it was known, it became harder to protect him from derision. The others thought him _ergi._ "

"What does that mean?" Willow asked. "Seith is magic, I know that much. But I don't know what _ergi_ means. Or that other one."

"It means that Loki's spent most of his life being gay-bashed," Jim said. When Martin stared at him, he grinned. "Amazing what you can find online. When you started researching Norse magic, so did I."

"And you really think we're going to let you take him back to that?" Steve asked.

"It won't be like that with the Jotuns," Thor answered. "Their ways... they don't have the same views that my people have."

"And what about you?" Sherlock asked. "What do you think?"

Thor shook his head. "He is my brother. I don't care who he sleeps with. If he finds someone who loves him, then I will be happy for him."

"He has," Martin said. Thor looked at him, then understanding dawned.

"He and you--"

"He's welcome to stay here, with us. Liv and I want him to. We weren't expecting you to come for him," Martin continued. He shook his head. "I don't know how he'll answer. Thor, I tried to tell him who he was, and whatever Odin did to him, it wiped everything from his mind."

"How did you know that?"

"I got past the spell. Thor, Loki said that Odin did this so he could have a second chance. He's got that now. Don't ruin it for him?"

Thor swallowed, sighed. "All I will ask is that he comes back with me and tells his mother this. And tells our mother this. They will understand."

"All right. So what can we do to help? And what about that deadline?" Bruce asked.

"There are a group of Jotun mages holding the portal on the other side. They can only hold it until the sun sets. I have the talisman, and I am to give it to someone here who can use it." He took a stone from his pouch. "Martin, you have no idea how pleased I was that you were here."

Martin took the stone and turned it over in his hands. "Willow, come see?"

She took it from him. "It's warm. Oh, that's a nice bit of spellwork. This is neat."

"So what are we doing?" Clint asked. "Because if we're going to kick the Chitauri out of Asgard, we really should tell General Fury."

"Yeah, you know he'll wait up for us," Tony quipped.

"He's coming here," Martin said. "For Christmas. But given you lot and your reactions, he's probably on his way. Someone call him. I want to go get--"

John pushed the door the rest of the way open, revealing Loki. "He's right here."

"John!" Martin gasped.

"I saw you," Loki said to Thor. "Through the window. I saw you, and I knew you."

"Brother." Thor started forward, then stopped. He looked uncertain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking you."

Loki nodded, coming into the room. "I understand. And I accept the apology. You want me to come with you?"

"Yes."

"And... I will be able to come back?" Loki looked at Martin. "I want to stay here. You know that I don't remember anything of... our world." He stopped, frowned. "Your world."

"I know."

"I have no place there," Loki continued. "Not any more."

Thor nodded. "If that is your wish. I'll respect it." He paused, then asked, "If I came to visit, would you see me?"

Loki smiled broadly. "I'll look forward to it." He looked at Martin, then around the room at the others. Then he looked back at Thor. "I heard just about everything you said. And I remember it still. I don't know what will happen, but perhaps if you say it..." He paused and looked once more at Martin, then drew himself up and faced Thor. "Say my name."

"And be ready to catch him," Clint added.

Thor closed the distance between them and rested his hands on Loki's shoulders. "Your name," he said. "Is Loki. And no matter where you were born or what you have done, or what you can or cannot remember, you are, and always will be, my brother."

Martin held his breath... but nothing happened. Loki looked up, startled. "My name is Loki," he repeated. He smiled and wrapped his hands around Thor's wrists. "Thank you."

"Wait... why didn't he pass out?" Natasha asked. "All this information..."

"Maybe... it's because Thor is telling him?" Willow suggested. "Maybe... there's a loophole?"

"That might just be a damned useful loophole," John said. "Martin, can you wedge that open a bit more?"

Martin considered it, then shrugged. "I'll have to see, and we don't have a lot of time."

"Less time than you think," Jim called from over near the window. He looked out through the curtain, then back into the room. "The sky is falling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more on homosexuality among the Vikings, see The Viking Answer Lady:
> 
> http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/gayvik.shtml


	20. Chapter 20

 "When did you turn into Chicken Little?" Tony demanded, going to the window. "Oh, boy. We have company, boys and girls."

Martin ran over and looked out, seeing the swirling sky. "Oh, no."

"They must have followed me," Thor murmured. "If we leave, they will follow again."

"All right," Martin turned. "Luke... Loki. Go get Olivia. Tell her to fire all the warnings, then get down here with Vee and Caval." Loki nodded and ran from the room, followed by Steve, Clint and Natasha. Martin didn't bother asking them where they were going. "Edmund!" he raised his voice, and Edmund appeared in the doorway as if he had teleported there.

"Sir?"

"Full alert. Battlestations. I'll fire the shields."

"Of course. God speed, Sir."

"And to you," Martin said to Edmund's back. "Once we're gone, he'll secure the house. Can we use that spell from inside?"

"Angrboða said to be out under the sky," Thor answered.

"Of course. Why make it easy or safe?" Martin grumbled. "Out the back, then. Ah... down by the woods. Keep clear of the house. I'm going to set the shields. Everyone has two minutes to be on the terrace. Move!"

Everyone scattered, and Martin made his way down into the cellars, into a room that had once held a piece of Time Lord technology that he still occasionally had nightmares over. That was long since gone, and in its place was a table. On the table was a matte black sphere the size of a soccer ball, that Martin had spent two years searching for. Good Whitby Jet was rare and expensive, and large pieces rarer still. This piece had cost him more than his car, and now, he reckoned it well worth the money. He ran one hand over the smooth surface, feeling the power pulsing within.

"Execute," he murmured, and felt the power surge as shields began to form all around the house. It would take them four minutes to coalesce, so he had a minute of grace to get everyone out before the shields were locked in place. They'd fade in twelve hours. Hopefully, it would be enough. He turned and ran from the room.

He was the last to reach the terrace. When he came out the doors, the first thing he saw was Captain America's shield. He blinked for a moment, then looked up at Steve.

"You came expecting a fight?"

"We decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Looks like it was good planning for the wrong reasons. What's the plan?"

Martin looked around. Sherlock had Violet, who was still asleep. Livvy stood by his side, with John next to her. Jim was on Sherlock's other side, and Willow was next to him, holding on to Caval's lead. Loki stood near Thor and Martin was shocked to see a gun in his hand.

"I showed him how to use it. And told him not to use it unless he had no choice," John said.

Martin nodded. "Where are the others?"

"Keeping an eye on the skies," Steve answered. He looked up. Martin followed his gaze, then stepped back as Ironman landed nearby.

"Nothing yet," he reported. "But they won't be long. You need to get out of here."

"You're not coming?" Martin asked.

"Someone has to be the rear guard," Tony said. "You get out of here, go... do whatever it is you need to do. And you..." he pointed at Loki, who froze. "Prove me wrong."

Loki nodded once. Martin went to him and put his hand on Loki's shoulder. "Ready?"

"No."

"What are you waiting for?" Tony demanded. "Get the hell out of here now!"

Thor took the stone out and handed it to Martin. "Angrboða said to hold it to the sky and call her name," he said.

"That's simple enough. All right." Martin looked around, then looked up in time to see the sky rip like paper, and a flight of terrifyingly familiar gliders appear. "Oh, my God..."

"Tony! Stay with them until they're gone, then come meet us!" Steve shouted, running off toward the front of the house. Martin fell to the rear as they hurried down the stairs and through the snow, slipping on the snow as they headed for the trees. He fought the urge to turn and look, hearing the weapons firing behind him.

"This is far enough," he called. He looked down at the stone in his hand, then at the group now surrounding him. "I... Thor, how large is the radius of the transport circle?"

"I... didn't think to ask."

"Oh. Lovely. All right. Everyone in as close as you can get. And someone keep hold of Caval." Immediately, he was surrounded, crushed in the center of the group. He could feel Livvy against his side, and looked down at her. "Lady Crieff?"

"I'm all right, Sir Darling. Get us out of here."

A thought occurred to him, and he looked at Thor. "How rough is this going to be?"

"Martin, I will be fine. We all will be fine. But only if we get out of here. They want you dead, too!"

"Right. Forgot that." He held the stone up, and drew in a breath to shout the name, then flinched as a piece of ground nearby exploded. Ironman took off, trading fire with the glider.

"Martin, now might be good," Willow shouted. She held one hand out and a glowing shield appeared between them and the fighting.

Martin didn't answer. He held the stone up once more. "Angrboða!"

The unfamiliar name rolled off his tongue as if he knew what he was saying. Above them, the skies opened, and they were surrounded by golden light. It was warm, and there was a weight to it, like a comforting blanket.

And it was jerked away without warning as a glider sliced through the beam of light, firing on the group. Ironman dove in front of the blast -- it knocked him out of the sky. He landed hard, tumbled, and lay still.

Martin raised the stone again, but it was cold. "Shit!" he swore. "Into the trees!"

"To the cemetery!" Sherlock called.

"What?"

Sherlock turned and stared. "Did Mycroft never tell you about the shelter?"

"No!" Livvy answered.

"Damn him! Come on!" He turned and ran into the trees. Martin turned to ask Thor to carry Livvy and heard Caval start barking frantically. Then he saw Loki running. Running the wrong way.

"Loki!" Martin shouted. Loki ignored him, running towards the still-immobile Ironman. A Chitauri appeared, aiming it's weapon at them. Loki raised his gun -- there was a half-second of stillness before he fired, and the alien fell. Martin started up the hill, feeling as if he were running through treacle.

Loki was on the ground, trying to help Ironman to his feet. They were close enough that Martin could hear Loki: "Get up! Tony, get up!" Behind him, unnoticed, an alien appeared.

"Loki! Behind you!"

Loki froze at the sound of Thor's voice. He looked back to see the approaching Chitauri, then looked towards them, meeting Martin's eyes. There was a finality there that terrified Martin.

"No..." Martin breathed, hearing the whine of the energy weapon, and watching as Loki turned, stepping between Ironman and the shot. The force of it knocked him backward, and he fell without a sound.

"No!" Martin felt his armor rising, felt the weight of his sword in his hand, and he took off up the slope again. The Chitauri who had shot Loki went down before he had a chance to fire again. Martin turned, looking for another target, and saw nothing.

"Martin!" It was Tony's voice, just before someone grabbed his arm. Martin turned to see Tony, his faceplate raised, his eyes wide.

"Come on. John says you have a bolthole. We need to get him there..."

"Him... Loki? He's alive?"

"Yeah, the little... he stepped in front of the shot. Why the hell did he step in front of the shot?"

"To prove you wrong," Martin answered, feeling the words catch in his throat. "How bad?"

"Bad enough to make a god cry," Tony answered softly. "Thor has him, and John is with him. He's unconscious. Might be a good thing."

"Right. Let's go. They went this way." Martin led the way into the trees, hearing the whine of energy weapons behind him, the scream of gliders, and an odd, grinding wheeze.

#

They found the others in the cemetery, huddled under the trees as Sherlock knelt in front of the taller of the two black plinths.

"The mechanism is frozen," Sherlock snapped. "I can't get it to work."

"Let me see," Tony offered. He moved over to crouch next to Sherlock. "What's supposed to open?"

"That crypt over there."

Martin ignored them, stumbling towards Thor and John. Thor had taken his cloak off and wrapped it around Loki, and the brilliant red only served to emphasize too-pale skin. The cloak hid the damage, but the look on Thor's face, and on John's, told Martin everything. Caval whined as he came over, but didn't move from Loki's side.

"Martin, you're a seithman. Can you do anything?" Thor asked. "The seithwife said she can't."

"Seithwife? Oh, you mean Willow. No. And I can't either. I... healing isn't my area." Martin reached out and brushed dark hair back. "If we get him back to Asgard, can we save him?"

"I... perhaps. The Halls of Healing still stand. But the stone--"

"Willow, any ideas?"

"Maybe," Willow answered. She took the stone from Martin and cradled it in her hands. "There's a residual signature here. We might be able to follow it back--"

"Like bread crumbs?"

"Yeah. Can you keep us covered while I work?"

"I think so, yes." Martin looked around, seeing Livvy and a now-awake Violet, perched on a snow-covered bench nearby. He frowned. Sherlock and Tony. Willow, Thor, John... "Where's Jim?"

"He said he would guard," Thor answered. "He stayed in the trees."

"Then I can't put shields up. They would keep him out."

"If the spell doesn't work, and we can't get into the shelter, Martin, what then?" John asked. "Can we get back into the house?"

"No. I can't break the shields from the outside," Martin answered. "How the repair?" he called.

"Don't bother me, Flyboy!"

"Can we force the door?" Thor asked.

"We risk breaking the mechanism if we do," Sherlock answered, coming over to stand with them. "Break the mechanism, and the doors won't close."

Martin nodded, listening to the distant sounds of battle, and realized that they weren't as distant as they once were. "They're coming," he murmured. "Tony, we need you!"

"Yeah, I hear them. You really need to keep up on your maintenance, Flyboy. That thing isn't opening without a sledgehammer."

"Well, if I'd know it was there, I'd have done it!" Martin snapped. Then he lowered his voice. "Tony... promise me that you'll get Liv and Violet out of here. Please."

Tony met his eyes and nodded. "I'll take care of them."

"Thank you."

"Thor, would you force the crypt open?" John asked. "I want Loki off the ground, and it will give us some shelter for the non-combatants."

"Good plan. Show me which one?" Thor asked. Sherlock led the way, and a moment later, Martin heard a metallic screech and the sound of stone grating on stone.

"Go kiss your wife and the kid," Tony said.

Martin nodded and walked away, towards the hole in the ground. The inside was finished, polished stone and wide stairs. Thor carried Loki down the stairs as Martin approached. Livvy stood at the top of the stairs, waiting.

"I don't want to go down there," she whispered as he reached her.

"Darling, you've no choice. You have to keep Vee and our boys safe. And Loki needs you, too."

She looked down the stairs. "Is he dying, Martin?"

"I don't know. Thor says that if we get to Asgard, he has a chance. They might be able to save him. But we need to give Willow time to rebuild the spell."

"All right."

"Lady Crieff," Martin rested his hands on her shoulders. "If this all goes pear shaped, Tony is going to get you and Vee out of here. He promised me that he'd take care of you."

"No! Martin--"

"Don't argue with me, Liv." Martin met her eyes. "Please. Take care of the children. You know we're not going to die here. You _know_ that. But you have to stay safe."

Livvy took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, Sir Darling."

"That's my Lady Crieff. Have you got your gun? Good." He looked down, then knelt. "Violet, I need you to listen to your Mum. I know you're scared. It may get scarier. But we'll take care of you. I promise."

"Papa, will Uncle Luke be all right?" Violet whispered. "Is he going to go be with Alexander?"

Martin caught his breath. He swallowed hard, twice. "Not if I can help it, Poppet. Now, go down and help Mama take care of him, all right? And keep Caval with you."

"Caval is looking after Uncle Luke. I'll help him. I love you, Papa," Violet said, and hugged him.

"I love you, too." He let her go and rose, kissed Livvy, and watched as they walked down the stairs together.

"How does she know?"

Martin turned to look at Sherlock. "What?"

"You said she knows that you'll get through this. How does she know?"

Martin sighed. "I wasn't supposed to let on about that. Grandfather... The Doctor, he... sort of told me something that he shouldn't have." Martin looked down at the stairs. "Five."

"Five?" Sherlock repeated. Then his eyebrows rose. "Five... children?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I see."

"Sherlock, you should go down with her."

"No."

Martin frowned, then realized why. "Oh. John won't go, hm?"

"He should be down there. He's the doctor, he should go--" Sherlock whipped around, raising his gun. "They're coming!"

"Willow?" Martin shouted.

"Almost!"

"Get over here so we can keep you covered! Where's Jim?" John demanded. "He should have come in by now."

Martin saw Sherlock pull his mobile out of his pocket, type quickly with one thumb, then shove the device back away.

"Hope he had that on vibrate," Tony muttered. "Right. Ready?"

"No." Martin pulled down his helm, curled his fingers and felt his sword in his hand, and watched as Tony closed his faceplate. "Do we have a choice?"

There was a roar, close by. "Oh, hi, Bruce," Tony said, looking up. "If I go up high, we'll see them, but they'll be able to see me, too."

"Don't give the position away," John said softly. "And less chatter."

The clearing fell still. Martin heard the sounds of the battle coming closer. Very close, he heard the sound of gunfire. And what sounded like a murmured name from Sherlock.

Then the Chitauri came out of the woods. Martin knew almost immediately that there were too many, and they'd learned from their last time on Earth. Gunfire didn't slow them down for long. Where the hell were the other Avengers?

"Sherlock! John! Fall back!" he shouted. "Get undercover!" He heard Willow yelp, heard her shout, "The stone!" Then there was no time to pay attention to anything else. His world narrowed to magic blasts and sword work, bringing in his shield and fighting a seemingly endless stream of Chitauri. He heard Steve's voice, distantly, and more gunfire. Saw a Chitauri fall with an arrow protruding from it's skull. Then one of them rushed forward. Martin was forced back, and tripped on something that caught him behind his ankle. He handed hard, and had just enough time to raise his shield before the Chitauri brought down it's weapon like a a club.

His shield shattered under the blow, and he howled as he felt the bones in his arm snap. His armor vanished as his control shattered with the pain, and he stared up at his own death....

A gunshot came from behind him, and the Chitauri froze, then faded into nothingness. Time stopped for a heartbeat, and Martin forced himself to look, only to see a woman he'd never seen before, and a man he knew.

"Grandfather?"


	21. Chapter 21

 The Doctor, even through Martin's pain-soaked haze, looked furious. He stalked past them all, actually pushing Thor on his way towards one of the remaining Chitauri. The Chitauri, obviously startled out of any sort of response, didn't move.

"Chitauri," The Doctor drawled. "What are you doing here? What do you think you're doing here?"

"You are not human--"

"Never claimed to be." The Doctor stopped, considered, then shrugged. "Well, not recently. This is an established, Level 5 planet. So I repeat. What are you doing here?"

"Invading," Tony supplied. "Second time in... what, four years?"

"Twice?" The Doctor repeated. "And the Shadow Proclamation hasn't caught up with you lot yet? Oh, I am going to have words with them. Article 57--"

"What are you?" the Chitauri demanded.

"I am The Doctor. And this planet is _mine_. So clean up your toys and leave. Now. Do not come back."

The Chitauri laughed. "And who are you to make us?"

The Doctor stepped forward, and Martin felt something... a tugging at the edges of his mind. Whatever it was, the Chitauri actually fell back. "You!"

"Yes. Me." The Doctor half-smiled at him. "Now you know. Off. My. Planet." He looked up and pointed at the dark portal, just visible over the trees. "And get that out of my skies!"

The Chitauri stepped back another step, then vanished in a flash of blue light. Gliders screamed overhead, heading back through the opening in the sky, which closed as the last one passed through.

"Can you get up?"

Martin looked up at the woman. "I... think so," he stammered. "Who are you?"

"River Song. Doctor River Song." She nodded towards The Doctor. "He hasn't mentioned me?"

"I haven't seen him in six years. Six years my time. No idea how long it's been for him." Martin got slowly to his feet, gritting his teeth as the movement made pain race up his arm. He cradled his injured arm to his chest. "None of the others has seen him since before he changed his face. I saw him... oh, of course! The Hermit!"

"Hermit?"

"Long story. Has to do with a Tarot reading." Martin shook his head and gasped. River touched his shoulder.

"Is it broken? Let me see." She took his arm, and when he yelped, she nodded. "Yes. Broken."

"What was all that about?" Martin heard Tony demand. "Your planet?"

"Why not?" The Doctor answered, smiling. "I've saved it often enough. And it worked. I do have to remember to mention to the Shadow Proclamation that they missed something." He peered at Tony, his head bobbing like a large bird. "Human in there?"

In answer, Tony opened his faceplate. The Doctor blinked and crowed, "You're a Stark!"

"Yes, I am. How did you know that?"

"You're Howard's boy, aren't you?" The Doctor continued. "You have his eyes. Good man. Bit of a war-monger, but an incredible mind for a human. You're not human, though." He turned to Thor, then burst out laughing. "Thor. Look at you! The last time I saw you, you were this little, scrawny thing, and missing both front teeth. Look at you now!"

Thor frowned. "We've met?"

"You were very young, and I was... well, seven... no, eight regenerations ago."

Thor smiled broadly. "Regenerations... You're the Time Lord Ganglari! You've changed."

"That happens. What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, Grandfather," Martin said. "And we need to get to Asgard as soon as possible."

"Oh, is that why the TARDIS insisted on coming here?" The Doctor asked. "I'd wondered. Who is we? Oh, hello, Sherlock! And John Watson!" He looked past them and saw Willow, and sobered. "And the Great Witch. To Asgard. No, sorry. Sorry. Can't do it. Must dash. The Chitauri shouldn't bother you again. Come along, River--"

"Grandfather!" Martin shouted. "We have to get Loki back to Asgard or he'll die!"

The Doctor turned. "Loki?" He looked at Thor. "Your brother? The dark one with the sense of humor?"

"Yes," Thor answered. "Ganglari, if you can help us... please?"

The Doctor looked torn. Sherlock stepped forward. "Grandfather," he said quietly. "Something will happen if you take us to Asgard?"

"I didn't say that!" The Doctor snapped, pointing at Sherlock. "No one said that!"

"You didn't have to." John came up to stand next to Sherlock. "We don't have time to waste, Doctor."

"Tony!" Steve came running out of the trees, skidding to a stop. "What just happened? All of a sudden, they were gone!"

"Apparently, Martin has friends in high place. Wait. Grandfather?" Tony turned. "He's your grandfather? You're hurt!"

"I'll live," Martin answered. "And there are some undetermined number of greats in front of that grandfather. Someone should tell Livvy that the shooting is over."

"No, it isn't. Look!" Willow pointed, and Martin looked to see the skies rip open once more. This time, one of the dragon ships appeared. "What is that?"

"Trouble," Tony answered. "Big trouble. Can we go? Now?"

Martin spoke without turning. "Sherlock, go and get Liv and Violet. Grandfather, I thought you said they wouldn't come back!"

"They must really be desperate. But why?" The Doctor said. "They're coming here. Time to leave. The TARDIS is that way." He pointed. "Do we have everyone?"

"I'm not going," Steve said. "We've got to stop that thing."

"There's a good chance they'll follow us," Martin said.

"Until we know, someone has to stay. Tony?"

Tony frowned, then shook his head. "I owe the little bastard. I need to make sure they get out."

Steve nodded. "I understand. "Right. Get out of here."

Thor appeared, carrying Loki out of the shelter. "Where is your craft, Ganglari?"

"This way," River said.

#

"Your name is Martin?"

Martin opened his eyes and looked up at River. "Yes. You don't happen to have paracetamol in here, do you?"

She smiled slightly. "No. The Doctor says we'll be there soon. And Thor says they'll be able to do something about your arm when we get there. You're his grandson?"

"Ultimately, yes. Me, Sherlock, Liv, Violet, we're all descended from him," Martin answered. He looked at River. "Now, who are you? Your first question almost was 'Has he mentioned me?' Why?"

Her smile broadened. "Spoilers, dear." She looked back, across the TARDIS to where the Doctor was trying to keep Tony from touching anything. Her smile softened, and Martin coughed.

"Why do I think you'll hurt me if I call you Grandmother?" he murmured. She looked back and laughed.

"You're very good!"

Martin shifted, feeling the makeshift sling that John had made from Sherlock's scarf digging into the back of his neck. "Sherlock is better. He hasn't noticed?"

"He's distracted. Who's Jim?"

"Sherlock and John's boyfriend. He was rear guard, and he never came out of the woods. I... I don't know... there was no time to look for him. God, I hope he's all right." Martin looked around. He didn't see Thor anywhere. "Where's Thor? Where's Loki?"

"We put him into one of the bedrooms." She looked away. "Your little girl is precious. She and your wife are in another room, and the dog is with them."

"She is. And I know. Liv told me. Please don't change the subject. How bad is it?"

River looked back at him. "Bad. It's very bad."

"I want to see him, please."

"You shouldn't move--"

"Please," Martin repeated. Without a word, River held her hand out to him. He let her help him stand, then followed her down a corridor.

"Never left the control room the last time I was here," he said. "The last time I saw him, there was another girl. Amy?"

"Don't mention her," River said softly. "Not to him."

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry..."

River looked back at him and nodded. "Thank you. We're in here."

Martin slipped into the room and stopped. Thor sat next to the bed, Mjolnir at his feet, his hands clasped in front of him. He looked up as Martin came in, then looked back down at the pale figure that lay in the bed. Silently, Martin came and joined him, watching, waiting, until there was a knock on the door. John slipped inside.

"We're here. The Doctor's gone out and met with someone. She says that they'll bring a litter." He came closer, took one of Loki's hands and felt his pulse, then looked underneath the blanket. His expression was grim.

"Tell me you saw worse in Afghanistan," Martin said.

"Oh, I did," John answered.

"And... they survived?"

John didn't answer. He rested one hand on Martin's shoulder. Martin closed his eyes and swallowed.

"Have... have you heard from Jim?" he forced himself to ask.

"No," John answered. "We couldn't get through."

"Steve will find him. He'll be safe," Thor said. "And we're here. Loki will heal."

Martin clung to the certainty in Thor's voice as several people came in, bundled Loki onto a litter and took him away. Before he could follow, an older woman came into the room.

"Mother!" Thor said.

"You found him," she said. "And... you've brought friends?"

"Mother, this is Martin," Thor said, pushing Martin forward gently. Gently for Thor, and Martin still almost ended up on his face. The woman arched an eyebrow, and Thor coughed.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to intrude--"

"Mother, he's the one who found Loki," Thor interrupted. "He's been taking care of him. And..." Thor stopped. Coughed again.

"Oh?" the woman said. Her lips twitched. "Then, should I consider you family?"

"I... I don't rightly know, Ma'am," Martin stammered.

"You are welcome here, Martin. You and yours. Now, you're hurt, too?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Come with me, then. We'll see you taken care of." She turned, and stopped as Livvy came into the room, leading Violet by the hand.

"Martin? Where are we?" she asked. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Ma'am, this is my wife, Olivia," Martin said. "And our daughter, Violet. Darling, this is Loki's mother."

The woman smiled. "My name is Frigga, child."

"Where is he?"

Frigga answered, "My son has been taken to the Halls of Healing. And I'm about to take your husband there as well. And you should come with us. How close are you to birthing, my dear?"

"A few weeks," Livvy answered. "I think."

"Liv!"

"Martin, don't fuss. I'm supposed to be fussing at you."

"Right. Yes, of course."

Frigga smiled and looked at Thor. "You'll bring the others? And Ganglari and his lady?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good. Angrboða was quite worried. She thought she'd killed you when her spell failed."

"We were attacked, Mother. The Chitauri followed me. That's how Loki... " Thor stopped. "You would have been proud of him, Mother. He saved a man's life."

"I'm always proud of my sons."

#

The Healer looked at Martin's arm and sniffed, derisively. It was almost as if she were insulted by so small an injury as a broken arm. Then she did... something. Martin fell asleep, and when he woke up, his arm was whole.

John was sitting with him when he woke up. Martin sat up, examined his arm, then looked at John.

"What did they do?"

"Damned if I know. And they told me that they can't explain it."

"Well, if it was magic--"

"No, they mean that they can't explain why it worked on you," John interrupted. "From what I understand, they were going to splint it. But one of them decided to try something that usually only works on their own people. He wasn't expecting to work on someone from Midgard. And it worked."

"Really?" Martin looked down at his arm again. "That's... interesting."

"Fucking bizarre," John murmured. "Liv and Vee are outside. The midwives here are amused by our barbaric obstetrics, and want her to have the twins here. And Tony is sitting with Loki."

"Is he awake?"

John shook his head. "Too soon to tell if what they did took. It's only been an hour. So get dressed and come sit vigil with the rest of us."

"How's Sherlock?" Martin asked as he put on the unfamiliar clothes that had been left for him.

"Driving everyone insane," John answered. "There's a woman... Sif, that's her name. She wants to kill him."

"Oh, dear."

"Thor stopped her. He thought it was hilarious."

Martin nodded. "And how are you?"

"Worried. Hoping that Steve found him. Hoping someone thought to call Mycroft and tell him where we all are, so he doesn't panic. Hoping we all still have a home to go back to, and that everyone is still alive there."

"Okay, so you've told me where Liv is, and Tony. I assume Sherlock is with one of them? Where are Willow and River and the Doctor?"

"Willow is with that Angrboða. Who is blue, by the by. Just to let you know. They were discussing magic." John opened the door. "And River and the Doctor are closeted away with Frigga and Thor."

"You're worried about that, too."

John nodded. "He didn't want to take us here. He didn't want Willow here."

"Care to make a guess?" Martin asked. "I'm thinking that whatever it is that makes her the Great Witch happens here."

"Yeah, that's what I think." John looked distant, and Martin almost asked why. Then he saw Livvy, and the thought fled his mind. She was dressed in a long, draped gown in a deep blue. It suited her perfectly. Violet was wearing a similar gown in miniature, in white. She ran up to Martin and hugged him; he picked her up, then hugged Livvy hard with his other arm.

"Lady Crieff, you look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you, Sir Darling. I like your new clothes, too."

Martin grinned and looked down at the green tunic he was wearing. "Green for the ginger?"

"Apparently, green is Loki's color here," Livvy answered. "His rooms are all done in greens. Frigga gave me that for you after I explained how we've... adopted him."

"I see. Wait, his rooms? You saw him?"

Livvy nodded. "Just now. He's right down the hall. Daddy is in there, too. I thought it best to get him away from Sif."

"Good plan," John said. "Once we get there, Martin, I'll fill you in on what we know... who is that?"

Martin looked and saw a startlingly handsome man standing in the hall. "That's Loki's door," Livvy said softly. "I don't know who he is."

"Right. Stand back, will you?" Martin said, putting Violet down.

The man looked Martin up and down, then said, "So, you're the Midgardian gothi."

"I'm not a gothi," Martin replied. "I don't sing the runes."

One eyebrow arched. "You're a seithman? You?" He looked past Martin at Livvy and Violet. "And that is _your_ woman?"

"That is my wife, yes," Martin snapped. "Look, who are you, and what are you after?"

The man grinned, making Martin want his sword. "I am Meili, son of Vili. And I was curious to see you."

"See me?" Martin repeated. "Why?"

"Wanted to see the Midgardian who finally gave the _argr_ Prince what he was asking for," Meili answered.

" _Argr_?" Martin said softly, hearing John snort next to him. He might not know the word, but the context was clear. "That isn't a word I know. Say what you mean, Meili."

Meili looked at Livvy again, then back at Martin. "I wanted to see what kind of man would settle for having that little _nithing_ bastard as his mare. You know, you don't look like a _fuðflogi_ , with the pretty little mare you've got, and her about to drop. So I can't imagine why you'd want him--"

Martin let his temper slip the lead, grabbing Meili and slamming him hard against the wall, enhancing his own strength with his magic. He heard John shouting at him to stop, heard Caval barking wildly, but it wasn't until someone grabbed him and pulled him off that he realized that Meili was practically gibbering with fear.

"Martin, what are you doing?" Thor demanded.

"He insulted me, Olivia and Loki," Martin answered. "Called me _fuðflogi_ , called Loki my mare--"

"Meili." There was a definite note of warning in Thor's voice. "We do not have time for the holmgang. Not now. Apologize."

"What? My Lord--"

"Apologize, Meili," Thor repeated. "Or you face me."

"No, Thor," Martin said. "He insulted me. I'll face him."

Thor looked at him. "We have no time for the holmgang. We are evacuating the palace. As soon as my brother is well enough to travel, we'll be leaving for Jotunheim."

"No," Meili said. "No. I... I apologize."

Thor glanced at Martin. "Good enough?"

"Thor?"

"John?"

"Is this him?" John asked. "You said that Loki approached someone, and he should have known better. This him?"

Thor glanced at Meili. "Yes."

"Thought so." John brushed past Martin, looked Meili up and down. His eyes narrowed. "What do you think, love? One?"

"Two, John," Sherlock answered. "Notice, the bruising on the side of his neck. The marks of someone's teeth. In that position, it could only have been done from behind. And see the bruises on his wrist? There, where his bracer doesn't quite hide them? Far too large to be from a woman. But they don't match the bruising on his upper arm, there."

Meili turned white, then red. He stared for a moment, then fled down the hall. Thor snickered, shaking his head.

"I'd wondered," he murmured.

"Hey, Flyboy, are you done making a racket out here?" Tony asked from an open door. "Because, if you're done, there's someone here who's awake and wanting to see you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ganglari is one of the many names of Odin. It means both Wanderer and Wayweary.
> 
> argr and nithing are both pretty nasty insults.
> 
> The holmgang is a Norse duel. According to Wikipedia, the holmgang "was fought on an ox hide or cloak with sides that were three meters long. It was staked on the ground with stakes used just for that purpose and placed in a specific manner now unknown. After that the area was marked by drawing three borders around the square hide, each about one foot from the previous one. Corners of the outermost border were marked with hazel staves. Combatants had to fight inside these borders. Stepping out of borders meant forfeiture, running away meant cowardice."
> 
> More on the holmgang: http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/holmgang.shtml


	22. Chapter 22

 Green definitely was Loki's color -- the room was hung with abstract tapestries in various shades of green and gold and black. The wide bed was covered in cushions and blankets of a lighter green. Caval raised his head as Martin came in, then settled back down with his head on Loki's leg.

Loki turned towards the door, and smiled as Martin came in. He looked tired, and still far too pale. But he was alive. Martin hesitated for a moment, until Livvy pushed him forward.

"Go on," she murmured. "You first."

That was all the incentive Martin needed. He went to the side of the bed, sat down, took Loki's hand in his, then leaned down and kissed him.

"You're an idiot," he whispered as he moved away. "A right, royal, fucking idiot."

"I love you, too," Loki answered, and giggled.

"I'm serious! Tony has armor! He would have been all right!"

"We covered that part," Tony volunteered. "Before you came in. And after I thanked him." Tony came around the other side of the bed and leaned against the wall. "And... you're wrong. Jarvis analyzed that blast while I was trying to get that shelter door to open. I didn't have a chance to look at the data until now. According to his readings, it would have gone right through my armor, and probably destroyed about five feet of the ground under me."

"I don't understand. If it would have killed you, how did Loki survive it?" Livvy asked.

"That's the thing. Jarvis also said that the energy readings were consistent with the Tesseract. And... Loki knew where we were when he woke up."

Martin sat up and stared at Tony for a moment, then looked at Loki. "What do you remember?"

Loki looked thoughtful. "This place. We're in Asgard. I... this was my home. And..." he stopped, his eyes widening. In a quiet voice, he said, "Mother?"

Martin turned and saw Frigga and River had come in, and were standing next to Livvy. Behind her, standing near Thor, Sherlock and John, and with a ferocious look on his face, was the Doctor. Martin didn't stop to wonder why. He squeezed Loki's fingers and got up, letting Frigga take his place.

"Loki," she said, taking his hand. She brushed his hair back. "What trouble you get yourself in to!"

"This time, it wasn't my idea," Loki answered, sounding petulant. Frigga laughed and leaned down to kiss his cheek. When she went to move, he refused to let go of her hand. "Mother... I'm sorry."

Frigga looked startled. "Loki? Sorry for what?"

"Everything," Loki answered. "All of this--"

"I think perhaps that fault lies in many places," Thor offered. "And that trying to find the heart of it will serve no one. You're sorry. As am I. It's over. Now, we work to make it right."

Loki smiled slightly. Then he sighed. "I have a great deal of work to do, then."

"I have a theory," Sherlock said abruptly. "About why Loki has part of his memory back."

"Go ahead," John said. "What are you thinking?"

"You all said that this... wall, this block on his memory was put there by the Tesseract, no?" Sherlock said, walking over to the foot of Loki's bed. "A wall that nothing could break down, except for the thing that put it there, according to Martin. And then... Loki was hit with a blast from a weapon powered by that same thing."

"Oh, Sherlock, that's brilliant!" Martin gasped. "What scratches a diamond? Another diamond!"

"That is the second time you've mentioned a Tesseract," the Doctor said slowly. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, Ganglari," Frigga said, standing up. "You entrusted it to Odin--"

"No!" The Doctor turned on her. "The Cube? The Tesseract is the Cosmic Cube? You... How did the Cosmic Cube end up in the hands of the Chitauri? I told Odin that he needed to bury that... that thing. I told him that it must never be used. Where is he?"

Frigga shook her head. "Odin was the first to fall when the Chitauri attacked Asgard and stole the Tesseract."

"We don't know that he's dead, Mother," Thor objected.

"We don't know that he is alive, either. There was no body." Frigga looked at the Doctor. "It matters not. Odin is gone, and the Tesseract is being used against us. And will be used against the Midgard. How do we defeat it?"

"We can't," the Doctor said slowly. "We can't. The Cube... that's old technology. Really old. It was ancient when Rassilon first tamed the Eye of Harmony. The Time Lords never knew who created it, never knew where it came from. They studied it, used what they learned to create Artron energy--"

"Artron energy?" Livvy asked.

"What makes the TARDIS work," River answered.

The Doctor continued as if they hadn't spoken. "But we never knew exactly what it was, never really... understood it. And during the Time Wars... it became a weapon." He stopped, looking distant and alone in a room full of people. "Entire planets wiped out of existence, no longer to be found anywhere in space or time, because of the Cube."

"My God," Martin breathed. "It's that powerful?"

The Doctor nodded. "A terrible weapon, and one that should never have fallen into the hands of the Time Lords. So... I stole it."

"Grandfather!"

"Oh, what?" The Doctor looked at Livvy. "I knew that if they kept it, they would keep on using it. So I stole it, to keep it from being used to wipe out all of time and space. And I entrusted it to the one person that I thought would never use it."

"He never did, until now," Frigga said. "After you gave it to him, he concealed it, buried it in Midgard. It was hidden for thousands of years."

"But now it's been found."

"They found it about sixty years ago," Tony said. "During World War II. My father was studying it. I have his notes... I think."

"You _think_?" The Doctor asked.

"They were in Stark Tower when the Chitauri attacked. I never did get around to digitizing all of the notebooks. And I'm still finding things that I thought were destroyed. I haven't found the notebooks. So they might be ash. Or they might still be buried."

"Better for Earth if they are ash," the Doctor said. "So... how did the Chitauri know?" He looked at Loki. "Did you tell them?"

"No. They already knew," Loki answered. He sat up slowly, wincing slightly. "Caval, let me up." The dog shifted, coming up to flop over Loki's legs. Loki petted him as he spoke. "I... there are gaps. Places where the wall still holds. I know I don't remember everything. Not yet. But I remember... they found me. In the void. I don't know how I came to be in the void, but they found me there. They saved me." He frowned, looked distant. "This... when they took me from Asgard, it was not the first time they'd had me. The first time, they wanted something from me. So... it was..."

"Not as bad?" John asked.

Loki gave a rueful smile. "If you can call mild torture 'not as bad' when compared to... to the second time? Yes. It was not as bad. And when they were done, they healed my wounds, and told me the price. The price for my life. I was to find the Tesseract and give it to them. I didn't know what it was. They told me what it was, what it would do."

"And what would you have gotten in return?" Thor asked.

Loki didn't look up, focusing instead on Caval's ears. "Midgard," he answered after a moment. "I would have ruled Midgard."

"We never would have stood for it, you know," Tony said.

"I'd have been a good king," Loki said, looked up at him. "I was raised to it. I would have ruled you well. And you would have loved me for it."

"No, we wouldn't have," Martin said. "We'd have fought you."

Loki turned and stared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "At first, yes. I expected that--"

"We would have fought," Martin repeated. He came back around the bed and sat down next to Loki, putting his arm around Loki's shoulders. "You don't understand us, Loki. Or at least, you didn't understand us then. We don't bow. Not anymore. Maybe we did once, back when we thought the Asgardians were gods. But that was a long time ago, and we've learned not to. We've faced other gods since then. Cybermen, and Daleks, and Great Vampires and.... and Heavens only know what else. And we've learned to fight."

"One of the things I love about humans, really," the Doctor added. "They don't bow. They don't kneel. Proud, wonderful people of Earth. And if they hadn't stopped you, well... it would only have been a matter of time before I did."

Loki frowned, then shook his head. "I..."

"All of that," Sherlock said quietly. "All that destruction, all of that bloodshed... because you wanted someone to see you. And see you for yourself. Not as the second prince, not as the unwanted foundling. Not as the freak." Martin felt Loki flinch. Sherlock just shook his head. "No wonder you and Jim get along so well. You're too much alike."

"Where is he?" Loki asked. "And Steve, and Natasha? Willow?"

"Willow is here," Livvy answered, coming around to sit on Loki's other side. Violet climbed on the bed with her, sitting quietly. "Steve, Natasha, Clint and Bruce stayed behind as a rear guard. And... we're not sure where Jim is."

"Not sure?" Loki looked around until he saw Thor. "Have you had Heimdall look?"

John turned. "Heimdall?"

"The All-Seeing. Sentry at the gates of Asgard," Thor said. "That's how we found Loki."

"You have someone who can see everything, and you don't have him looking?" John demanded, sounding more than a little strident.

Thor just shook his head. "I haven't told you anything because he hasn't found Jim yet. He is looking. He says that there is no sign of him, living or dead, at the place where Loki was found."

John seemed to shrink slightly. "Oh. Oh, I'm.. I apologize."

"No need, John. I understand your worries." Thor looked around. "We need to move. Most of our people have already gone on to Jotunheim. It's time we were off as well. Loki, are you well enough to travel?"

"We'll carry him if need be," Martin offered. Frigga covered her mouth with her hand, and Martin turned to see Loki scowling at him, an interesting expression when it also looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"I can walk," Loki said. "I'll get dressed, and... we're going to Jotunheim. Will... I'll meet her, won't I?"

"Yes, Loki. You'll meet Queen Fárbauti," Frigga answered. "She's looking forward to meeting you at last."

Loki looked around. First at his hands, then at Livvy. Then at Violet, and finally at Martin. "And when I tell her I won't be staying? That I am going back to Midgard?"

Frigga looked startled. "Go back? You want to go back?"

"He is coming back with us," Martin said, his voice soft. He tightened his arm around Loki, and felt Livvy's hand on his.

Frigga looked at Thor. "You knew?"

Thor nodded. "I knew. And I told Loki that if that was what he wanted, then I would not stand in his way."

"But your blessing would mean the world to all of us," Livvy added.

Frigga didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Thor. "We must finish the evacuations. I'll see to that." She left, closing the door behind her.

"That... went well, don't you think?" Tony said to the ceiling. Martin glared at him.

"I'll talk to her," Thor said. "She'll understand."

"It's just that she's only just gotten you back," Livvy added, running her fingers through Loki's hair. "Once she sees that this is really what you want, she'll come around."

"Right. Let's get you dressed." Martin got up and looked around. "Everyone out, please? This isn't the London Zoo."

Laughter, and people filed out of the room. Livvy got up slowly, one hand on her back. "I want to find out where we're going," she said. "And what we should expect."

"Darling?" Martin said. "Are you all right?"

"Nervous, Martin. Worried about everyone at home. And not really understanding what is happening here. There is so much... and so little data. I can't really deduce, and it's driving me to distraction." Livvy smiled. "I'm fine."

"If you say so."

"I do. Violet?" Livvy turned to the bed to see that Violet had crawled up the bed and had cuddled up next to Loki, wrapping her arms around him.

"Mama, I don't want Uncle Luke to go away," she said.

"I'm not, Violet," Loki said.

"Poppet, Uncle Luke needs to get dressed. Go with your mum, and we'll talk about this later, all right?"

Violet nodded, hugged Loki hard enough to make him gasp, then crawled off the bed. Livvy kissed Martin, then went to the side of the bed and kissed Loki. "We'll be back," she said as she took Violet's hand.

Once they were gone, Martin turned back to Loki. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I still hurt," Loki answered. "And... I don't want to see her, Martin. I promised, but I don't want to see her."

"Fárbauti, you mean?" Martin nodded. "Why?"

"Because she never wanted me before," Loki answered. He got out of bed slowly, holding on to the bedpost until he was steady on his feet. "She never came for me before. Why now?"

Martin scratched the back of his head, watching as Loki took clothes from a cabinet, stripping off the long shirt that someone had put on him. He admired the view for a moment, then asked, "Why were you raised here, Loki? Was it -- what's the word? -- fostering?"

Loki pulled a dark green tunic over his head, smoothing the front as he turned to face Martin. "I don't know."

"Then I think that's the first question you need to ask," Martin said. He followed Loki's hands with his eyes, then grinned. "And stop that."

Loki froze. "Stop what?"

Martin walked over to him and ran his hands up Loki's arms. "Petting yourself. Or else I'm going to give in and start petting you myself. Then we'll never get out of the room."

Loki grinned. "Do you think we'll have any privacy where we're going?"

"We'll find out when we get there. Finish dressing."

#

Tony was waiting for them when they came out of the room.

"Livvy and Vee are with Frigga. My idea. I kinda thought that if Frigga figured out she was getting a granddaughter out of this, she might warm up a little faster. And I hung around because I figured it might be good to give you an escort," he said, falling in step with them on Loki's other side. "Since these people are barbarians and all."

"I don't think they'll want to pick a fight right now," Martin said.

"That's where you'd be wrong."

"What?"

"That Meili guy showed up with his brothers. He's looking for you, Martin."

Martin shook his head. "We don't have time for this nonsense. And Thor told him that."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't seem to have penetrated his thick skull. I think they said left up here." He walked on ahead, turned, and stopped. When Martin and Loki caught up with him, the first person they saw was Willow.

"You're up!" she crowed, darting forward and hugging Loki. "They must have some really good doctors here. You're all right?"

"A little sore, still. Thank you," Loki answered. But he wasn't looking at Willow. He was looking past her, at the other woman.

As John had mentioned, Angrboða was, indeed, blue. Her skin was a deep blue, patterned with whorls that might have been elaborate tattoos. Or perhaps were just part of her skin. Her eyes were red, and her hair was as dark as Loki's, braided back into a single tail that hung nearly to the floor.

"We heard that Loki is awake," she said. "I wanted to see my king."

Martin heard Loki gasp. "King?" he stammered. "I... I'm your _king_?"

Angrboða looked puzzled. "Yes. Did no one tell you?"

"Angrboða , I told you. He doesn't remember," Willow said.

"Of course. Forgive me, Sire."

Loki swallowed, then nodded. "I thought Queen Fárbauti still lived?" he asked.

"For the moment," Angrboða answered. "But her time comes, and she wishes to see her first-born son before she dies."

Loki went silent and still, then turned away, walking a few steps back up the hall. Tony glanced at Martin, who shook his head.

Finally, Loki turned back. "When do we leave?"


	23. Chapter 23

"Penny for your thoughts?" Martin murmured as they walked through the halls, Caval keeping pace at his side.

"So little?" Loki asked. "I'll have you know that my thoughts are far more valuable."

"Fine, then. I'll throw in a backrub. Are you all right?"

Loki shrugged, the tension not leaving his face. "I'm not certain. I'm feeling... conflicted. I have questions... but to get answers, I need to see her. And there might not be time."

Martin stopped as two more Jotuns came towards them. One of them called as they came closer. "Angrboða! Have you found him?"

"Have you no eyes, Byleist?" Angrboða asked.

The one that had spoken grinned. "I'm Helblindi. He's Byleist. And all I see are Asgardians and Midgardians."

"Ignore him, Angrboða," Byleist said. "He's blind." He walked past Angrboða and stopped in front of Loki. "You're Loki, aren't you?"

Loki looked sideways at Martin, who shrugged. Slowly, Loki nodded. "I am."

Byleist laughed aloud and wrapped his arms around Loki, picking him up in an enthusiastic hug. "I knew it! I knew we'd find you! Brother, we've been hearing your name for years; it's wonderful to finally meet you!"

Loki, on his own feet, staggered a moment, then stared at Byleist. "Brother?"

"Half-brothers, really," Helblindi said. "We have different sires. But since our people count lineage through the mother-line, it doesn't much matter. You're our brother, and we've been waiting for you all our lives."

"Although, I have to say. You make a damned ugly Asgardian," Byleist added. "When will you show your true face?"

"Byleist, don't be rude!" Angrboða chided. "He is not unattractive for an Asgardian."

At the same time, Martin protested. "Ugly? He's not ugly! He's bloody gorgeous is what he is!"

"To you, perhaps. To us?" Byleist shrugged. "Too small, too pale. That skin... it's the wrong color! It's a wonderful disguise, really, but--"

"It's my face," Loki said softly. "It's... I don't have another one."

"You're a Jotun, Loki," Angrboða said gently. "A Frost Giant. Even though you don't know it. You wear the form of an Asgardian, and I don't know what spellcraft they used to raise you this way. But you were born a Jotun. Like us."

Loki's eyebrows attempted to climb over the back of his head. "So... I'm supposed to be blue?"

The twins started talking, both at once. "Of course you are..."

"If Mother is to be believed, you're supposed to be an older version of us..."

"And a better behaved one..."

"Any time we get in trouble, Mother always says 'Your brother would never have done that...'"

"But truly, if you were given a chance, wouldn't you have adopted a sabertooth tiger kit..."

"Or two?"

Loki had been watching the rapid-fire back-and-forth conversation with just his eyes. When there was finally a pause, he pressed his lips together tightly, then, sounding as if he was trying not to laugh, he said, "Dire wolf."

Both twins looked blank for a moment. Then Byleist barked with laughter. "A dire wolf?"

"He was only a little one," Loki added, his lips twitching. "A... a runt. Abandoned by it's dam. Fenris was barely a double handful when I found him."

"What's a dire wolf?" Martin asked.

"Take Caval there," Loki said, pointing. "Add another hundred pounds, and about two feet in height. When Fenris was grown, his head came to my shoulder. I was... I'm not even sure how old I was at the time, but I could ride him like a horse."

Martin burst out laughing. "Loki, you remembered!"

Loki smiled. "I did. But I don't remember what happened to him."

"Fenris lived to a very old age for a dire wolf," Thor said, walking toward them. "He was over twenty when he died. And most of the hunting dogs in the kennels are descended from him." He stopped next to Loki and rested his hand on Loki's shoulder. "You've a gift with animals, Loki. You trained all of the hunting dogs, and you bred and raised your horses, and mine as well."

Loki frowned slightly, then shook his head. "I don't remember."

"You will," Thor said. "You will. Now, are you all ready? Martin, Olivia and Violet are with Mother--"

"I know. Tony told us."

"...the women and children that remain are leaving in the first wave. We'll follow as soon as they're gone," Thor continued as if Martin hadn't spoken. "So come along."

"Was River included in the 'women and children' description?" Martin asked as they started walking.

"She wasn't originally, but Olivia asked her to go with them." Thor looked at Martin. "Is she truly your grandmother?"

"Technically, I suppose yes. Since the Doctor is my very distant grandfather."

Thor shook his head. "I'd no idea Ganglari had any family left. He always seemed to alone when he was here."

"He didn't know about us, not until... let me think... right before Liv and I married."

"Ganglari?" Loki repeated. "Am I thinking of the right person? Insane man in a blue box?"

"Yes, that's him," Martin answered. "You saw him earlier, in your room."

"Was that him? He looks different from what I remember. And he's your _grandfather_?" Loki asked.

"As I told Thor, there are some undetermined number of greats before that grandfather," Martin answered. Then he stopped. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Thor asked. The twins looked at each other, then both of them closed their eyes.

"I hear it..."

"Something like..."

"Vibrating?"

"Yes. It's making my skin crawl."

"Subharmonics," Tony muttered, closing his faceplate. "Oh, yeah. There are energy readings spiking all over the place. If we're getting out of here, we need to get now."

The group started to hurry, following Thor through the palace. As they reached a large hall, there was a distant explosion, and the ground shook beneath their feet.

"How long will it take us to get everyone out?" Tony asked.

"Not long. Angrboða, go on ahead. They'll need you for the spells."

"I'll come, too. I can help," Willow volunteered. Angrboða nodded and they both took off running. Another explosion sounded, and Martin winced. "That was closer."

"Less talking, more moving," Tony snapped. "Out of here."

Before they could start moving, there was a third explosion. Followed by screaming as a cloud of dust billowed toward them from down the corridor. Figures appeared out of the dust, coughing and stumbling. Sherlock. John. Willow. The Doctor, half carrying Angrboða. No one else.

For a moment, Martin couldn't move. Couldn't think. Then... "Liv," he breathed. "Violet. Caval, stay with Loki!" He took off down the corridor, running into the cloud, jumping over dust-obscured shadows that might have been debris, or that might have been bodies. He didn't stop to find out. He heard John behind him, shouting his name, and skidded to a stop as he reached a terrace overlooking what once must have been a garden. Now, it was a ruin, bodies strewn everywhere among the wreckage. Off to one side, Martin could see a portal, and armed Chitauri herding women and children into the the darkness.

"Martin!"

Livvy's voice was high and shrill, and Martin saw her in the crowd, with Frigga by her side. Saw River with her, carrying Violet.

"Go back, Martin!" River shouted. He ignored her, vaulting over the edge of the terrace and dropping to the turf below. By the time he hit the ground, his armor was in place, his sword in his hand, and he ran towards the portal, cutting down anything that got in his way. He heard the familiar whine of repulsors from overhead, and knew that it had to be Tony. From behind him, gunfire, and the sound of thunder.

Then, in front of him, a figure familiar enough to stop him in his tracks. He heard footsteps behind him, then Sherlock's strangled voice:

"Jim?"

Jim Moran walked out of the shadows, stopped, and smiled. "Hi, Sexy," he called.

"Jim... what.... what are you doing?" John asked.

Jim smiled wider. "Look at these people. Amazing how sheep will show up for the slaughter."

Martin caught his breath. No, it _couldn't_ be...

Jim started to pace, putting himself between them and the portal. "Like cavemen fear thunder, I can't help but wonder, _can you really_ _hear me_?"

Martin swallowed and dispelled his armor, hearing the stress on the words and understanding the message behind them. "I hear you," he called.

Jim nodded, then surged forward, shouting, "Go ahead, _run away_!"

Martin backed up, grabbing Sherlock by his sleeve when he would have gone forward. He caught John's eyes and nodded. "Run!" Between them, they dragged Sherlock back up to the terrace and into the building, back along the corridor, collecting the others as they ran.

"What the hell was that?" Tony demanded as they stopped. "We could have stopped them. And that was Jim! What was he doing?"

"Playing them. Oh, my God, he's playing them." Martin sank to the floor, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Christ... what is he doing?"

"Saving his neck? Trying to stop them from killing the rest of us?" John suggested. "And now... protecting Liv and Vee? Fuck."

"Are you certain?" Thor asked. "Are you certain that he did not betray us?"

"Completely," John answered. "Jim is on our side. He told us so."

"I heard nothing. How did you know?"

"That song--" Martin started to say.

"Song?" Sherlock interrupted. Then his eyes widened. "The charity show!"

"The one you all convinced me to be in last Christmas," Martin said, nodding.

"Wait. I remember that," Tony said. "That Doctor something musical, for the hospital, and you made an ass of yourself on stage. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Jim was running lines from one of his songs!" John said. "He... he was trying to let us know he was acting!"

"Which means he's trying to work against them from within." Sherlock shook his head. "He's going to get himself killed!"

"Not if we can help him from out here," Loki said.

"To do that, we need to get to Jotunheim," Thor said. "Angrboða?"

Angrboða shook her head. "The transport site was in that courtyard. It's destroyed. I cannot rebuild it without time that we don't have."

"We don't need a transport site," the Doctor said. "Come along."

"What about my people?" Thor asked. "Is there room in your ship for all of those who remain?"

John coughed, looked down. "Thor... there isn't anyone left out there."

"What?" Thor looked back down the corridor. "Sif... the Warriors Three... all of the guard who remained..."

"Before the explosion... a... a hole... opened, in the middle of the courtyard," Sherlock said. He sounded almost puzzled, as if he wasn't quite certain what he was talking about. "We had separated them all into the groups to be transported. The women and children were all off to the side. The others were on the other side of the court. And... the hole opened under them."

Thor stared for a moment at John, disbelief warring with grief. Grief won, and he turned away.

"It's time to go," the Doctor said softly. "Come along."

He started down another corridor, and Thor followed him. Loki hesitated, glanced at Martin, then slipped away, hurrying to Thor's side.

#

Once inside the TARDIS, Martin found an out-of-the-way spot and sat down, pulling his knees in to his chest and resting his forehead on his arms. Caval curled around his feet and whined softly, then was quiet except for his panting. A few minutes later, Martin heard footsteps, and someone sat down next to him. Without a word, an arm settled around his shoulders, holding him tightly, and Martin felt his resolve crumpling. He turned, buried his face in the front of Loki's tunic, and cried.

"We'll get them back," Loki said softly as he held Martin. "We'll get them back."

More footsteps. These approached quickly, then stopped. Then Martin heard Angrboða's voice. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't intrude..."

"No," Martin said, pulling away gently and sitting up. He wiped his face and took Loki's hand, looking up at Angrboða. "It's all right."

She hesitated, and Martin wondered for a moment what color someone with blue skin would turn if they blushed. Purple?

"I was hoping to speak to my king," she said softly. "I didn't realize that you were here."

"What do you want, Angrboða?" Loki asked.

Yes. Purple. Martin fought back giggles. Angrboða was doing an amazing job of acting like a str-struck girl. Then Martin realized that she was just that -- a young woman faced with someone who was damned near a celebrity to her people. And that she was trying to get Loki alone.

"You," he murmured, for Loki's ears alone.

Loki arched an eyebrow. "Angrboða?"

"I... I should go," she stammered, turning away. Loki jumped to his feet and caught her arm before she'd gotten five steps.

"No. Come back. Please." He guided her back and pulled her down so that she was sitting with him and Martin. "You wanted something. Martin is--"

"Your lover. I do have eyes, Sire."

Loki shook his head. "No, call me Loki. And yes. But he's also my friend. So please. What did you want?"

"I... wanted to know you better. Because your mother... if you stay, if you take the throne, she wishes to seal the lines of power to the throne."

"Oh," Martin breathed.

Angrboða glanced at him, then nodded. "It is your mother's wish that we be wed, my lord," she said quietly.

Loki coughed once. "I... I see. And... your wishes?"

Angrboða sighed. "I don't know. That was why I wanted to know you better. Because I can refuse, but that will leave the way open for the warrior lines to try and put a daughter of their blood in place as your Queen. They still chafe at the punishments laid on them by Laufey's betrayal--"

"Who?" Loki asked. "Angrboða, I still don't know what you're talking about."

Angrboða nodded. "I... yes. All right. Your mother is Fárbauti. Your sire was Laufey, of the warrior lines. Their marriage was to ally the two bloodlines of the Jotuns. Laufey hoped for a son of the warrior line, to give more influence to his own bloodline. But you are of the lines of power--"

"What's the difference?" Martin asked.

Angrboða looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Remember how Loki explained the difference between your Caval and the dire wolf? That is the difference between the warrior line and the line of power. The twins and I, we are children of power. Loki is a child of power. The warriors are larger, stronger, faster. But not as intelligent, and they have no magic. When you were born, Laufey felt it was a failure on his part. He stole you from your cradle, Loki, and left you to die."

"And that's how Odin found me?"

"Yes. Fárbauti had named you her heir. She named you, which meant that you were acknowledged as her child. She never changed the lines of succession, even though she remarried and had other children. Because she believed that you lived."

Loki frowned. "Then why did she never look for me?"

"That, you will have to ask Fárbauti."

"And... if I refuse the throne?" Loki asked. "If I return to Midgard?"

Angrboða shrugged. "Then the twins take the throne, I suppose. But not for years, yet. They're too young." She shook her head. "There would be a regency."

"How old are they?" Martin asked. Loki shook his head, waving away an answer to that question.

"The idea of a regency worries you. Why?"

"Because the logical Lord Regent would be Fengr, Fárbauti's Shield. Her... oh, what would you call him? He leads the warriors."

"Captain of the Guard?" Martin guessed.

"Yes. And... he is of the warrior line." She paused, then sighed. "He is... he is Laufey's brother. And I worry that if he becomes Lord Regent to your brothers, that they might not live to take the throne."


	24. Chapter 24

 "Good Lord," Martin murmured.

"You really think he'll kill them?" Loki asked.

Angrboða looked stricken. "I don't know. He's always been perfectly honorable in court, but..."

"But?" Martin prompted.

Angrboða looked at him. "His coerls and his slaves. They're terrified of him. His steading is near to my family in the Iron Mountains. I can't even tell you how many times we hosted him overnight, because he was out hunting a runaway slave, or a coerl who had been caught poaching." She looked down. "We gave succor to many of those, once my mother saw how they'd been treated."

Loki leaned back against the wall, frowning. He glanced at Martin. "Thoughts?"

"'If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.'" Martin answered.

"That's very wise," Angrboða said.

"It's not me. It's from a book I read," Martin told her. She grinned.

"I like books. If I come to visit Midgard, may I read yours?"

Martin laughed. "You should expect to spend a few weeks, then. We have a lot of books. Liv..." he stopped.

"Liv? You mean Olivia? The pregnant one?" Angrboða asked.

Martin nodded. "She's my wife."

"Oh! I thought she was mated to the one in armor."

"No, Tony's just a good friend," Martin said. "When will we get there? To Jotunheim?"

"Ganglari said that it would not be long," she answered.

"And then what?" Martin looked at her, then at Loki. "Then what do we do?"

Loki took a deep breath and got off the floor. "We'll find out when we get there."

#

"Wow!" Willow said as they walked out of the TARDIS. "This place is beautiful!"

"Welcome to Jotunheim," Angrboða said. She walked out in front of them, turned and smiled. "Welcome to my home."

"Our home!" Byleist called. "And look, we have a welcoming committee." He pointed to a group of riders coming toward them from a palace that looked to Martin as if it had the same kind of fairy-tale grace as Neuschwanstein, but that seemed to be made from glass. As the riders got closer, Martin could see extra mounts and a sleigh.

"Quick, before they get here. Do we tell them that Loki is Loki?" Tony asked. "Given what you said about Fingers--"

"Fengr," Angrboða corrected.

"Yeah, him. Maybe we should keep the Foundling King here under wraps until he's got his power back?"

Loki looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "No. If I'm to meet with the Queen, there's no point in hiding who I am. The gossip will tell everyone who I am faster than a herald."

"And if we all can't protect Loki, then there's no chance in hell that we'll be able to beat the Chitauri," John added. "So let's just get this over with so we can get our ladies back."

The riders stopped, and one of them dismounted. He was bigger than the twins, both in height and in mass, and Martin caught himself judging the man's movements, wondering which hand was his dominant one. What was his preferred weapon? What were his tells? Because he was certain that this was Fengr.

The Jotun bowed slightly. "Lady Angrboða, Lord Byleist, Lord Helblindi, welcome home. And welcome to you, Thor Odinson of Asgard."

Sherlock sniffed. "Notice that he omitted your title, Highness," he said.

The Jotun reared back, then peered more closely at Sherlock. "You are not of Asgard."

"No, but I can at least be polite," Sherlock replied. "When I wish to be." He inclined his head to meet Fengr's eyes. "Lord Fengr, I presume?"

Fengr said nothing, and Martin realized it was harder to judge expressions when dealing with alien features. He couldn't tell what the Jotun was thinking.

"Of course," Fengr said, bowing slightly. "I... apologize, Prince Thor, for my lapse."

Thor shook his head. "No offense taken, Fengr."

"And have you found what you sought, Lady?" Fengr asked, turning to Angrboða. But Martin saw his eyes linger when he saw Loki.

"Fengr, you're keeping our guests out in the snow," Angrboða answered. "Our Queen will want the news."

"News?

"The Queen first, Fengr." Angrboða folded her arms over her chest, and Fengr chuckled.

"Of course, my lady."

#

Martin sat next to Loki in the sleigh, wanting to keep him close. Apparently, Angrboða had the same thought -- she sat on Loki's other side. Thor, Sherlock and the twins had all decided to ride, which left John, Willow and the Doctor sitting facing them.

"He doesn't like you," Loki said quietly, the wind almost whipping his words away.

"I don't cower to him," Angrboða answered. "I think he's guessed who you are."

"I'm pretty sure you're right about that," Martin said. "But we'll keep your back guarded."

"You really think he's going to try..." Willow asked, her voice trailing off as Fengr rode alongside the sleigh.

"That one," he said, nodding upwards toward Tony, who had elected to fly. "He is a wizard?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Martin answered.

"Strange magics you have in Midgard." Fengr looked up again. Martin bit his lip, then gave in to whimsy.

"He's quite powerful," he drawled. "One of the best, really. Top of his class."

"Class?" Fengr looked back at him.

"Of course. Wizards go to school in Midgard. It's how they learn to be wizards." Martin leaned back and put one arm around Loki's shoulders, smiling at Fengr's poorly masked surprise. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the look on Willow's face -- she was trying desperately not to laugh. He kept on. "I mean, they're born wizards, but they go to school to learn to properly use their magic."

"Of course," Fengr said. "And did you learn to be a wizard at this school?"

"Not the same one, no. Oh, there are several of them. Tony is American, so he went to--" His mind went blank.

"The Salem Institute," Willow supplied. "In Massachusetts."

"Right, of course," Martin said. "I'd forgotten. We never had much to do with them at Hogwarts." He looked back at Fengr. "How much longer?"

"We'll be there shortly." Fengr rode off, and Willow gave in to a peal of giggles. John just shook his head and pointed a finger at Martin.

"You are going straight to hell, Captain Crieff."

Martin laughed. "Well, of course. Considering that everyone I know will be there, too?"

"Was there a point to that?" the Doctor asked.

"Putting him off the scent. Letting him know that he's got at least two wizards to deal with if he wants to try for Loki. And letting him know that Loki is mine."

"He is right now wondering how powerful a wizard you must be, to have claimed the Jotun King." Angrboða said.

"Have you?" Loki asked, looking at Martin. "Claimed me?"

"I'm sorry, were you not there the other morning?" Martin asked in reply, and was rewarded with the sight of Loki turning bright red. He laughed and hugged Loki tightly to his side. It helped keep the worry at bay.

They entered the palace, and the sleigh stopped in the courtyard. They all dismounted, and Angrboða took the lead, neatly bypassing Fengr's attempt to bring the group inside. Without speaking, they all ranged around Loki, forming an honor-guard- _cum_ -human-shield. Martin stayed at Loki's side, and the twins fell in behind him.

"What should I expect?" Loki asked.

"Don't be afraid of her," Byleist answered. "She's your mother, after all."

"She's bedridden these days," Helblindi added. " Angrboða will take you to her. Do you want us to come with you?"

"I..." Loki looked down. "You, Byleist. And Martin. Please."

"And what should we do?" John asked.

Loki glanced at Martin. "Ideas?"

"Coordinate with Fengr?" John suggested. "The Chitauri are coming. We all know they're coming. And we have to find a way to get to them and get everyone back. Where are they based? What is their real strength? And how to we get to the Tesseract without getting killed?"

Martin nodded. "I'd listen to John. He is, I think, the only one of us other than Tony or Thor with real experience here."

"I have another question," Thor asked. "Fengr is the brother of a traitor. Why does he hold so much power?"

"That is something I would like to know," Sherlock agreed.

"I have a question, too," the Doctor said. He pointed at Tony. "What's that blinking light?"

Tony looked down at his armor, his eyes widening. "That's not supposed to do that!"

"Is that... it is!" Sherlock crowded in next to the Doctor. "It's blinking in a pattern!"

"That's Morse code!" John added. He frowned, looking closely. "T-I-E. And... that's all. Tie?"

"It's started again," Sherlock said quickly. "John, can you get it?"

John nodded, pulling his notebook out of his pocket. He frowned, writing down letters until the blinking stopped once more.

"What is it?" Willow asked. She peered over John's arm and frowned. "Hello, Sweetie? That's weird."

"No, it isn't!" the Doctor crowed. "That's River!"

#

"Are you all right?" Frigga asked.

"I'm fine. Really," Livvy answered. "Please. Sit."

"If you exhaust yourself, you won't be any good to anyone," River added. She was sitting next to Livvy, her head bent as she worked on something that Livvy couldn't see properly. "Sit down, and see if you can think of why they didn't just kill us outright. Because all I can think is that we're bait. And that makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't. They've taken no prisoners before. Why now?" Frigga sat down and held her arms out. "Come sit with me, Violet. Let your mother have a rest."

Violet shifted in her seat next to Livvy and looked up. "Mama, does Papa know where we are?"

"Not yet, I don't think."

"He will," River murmured. "Soon."

"And he's going to come for us? And cut lots of aliens up into little tiny bits?"

"Oh, Vee, that's horrible. But yes. He's going to come for us."

"And cut lots of aliens up into little tiny bits," Frigga added. "And Thor will come with him, and Loki, and all of the other warriors of Asgard." Violet smiled and got up, crossing to sit on Frigga's lap. "Now, what are you doing, River?"

"Trying to get a signal out. I'm almost... there." River looked up, a satisfied smile on her face. "It will transmit. But they might not be in the TARDIS now." She looked down, then over at Livvy. "Your friend in the tin pants--"

"Tony?"

"Yes. His suit has a computer on-board."

"Oh!" Livvy laughed. "Yes. May I?"

"Do you know what this is?" River asked.

"Looks like a sonic screwdriver?" Livvy held her hand out. "I've been working on alien and Time Lord technology since Grandmother thought I was old enough. Which was when I was about Violet's age. And I know the frequencies that Tony uses."

River handed the screwdriver to Livvy, who bent over it, studying it closely. "What do you want to say?" she asked.

"Start with 'hello, sweetie,'" River said. "It will tell them that it's me."

Livvy glanced at her and smiled. "That's adorable." She looked back down at the tool. "Martin is Sir Darling. All right. That's done it."

"Good. Now, with luck, they'll be able to follow the signal back."

#

The visit to Fárbauti's rooms was derailed. Angrboða led them to a suite of rooms that she told them were hers. Once they were all inside, she barred the door. Then she waved one hand, and crystals placed all around the room began to glow softly.

"Now no one can see or hear anything inside this room," she said. "Your armor... speaks?"

"Not exactly," Tony answered. He triggered something from inside, and the armor cracked open, allowing him to step out of it. He set the helmet down on the table and turned back to the open armor. "I'm going to need to recharge this soon," he said, looking at something inside. "No chance of that here, is there?"

The Doctor nodded. "Perhaps, in the TARDIS. We'll see what I can do."

"Thanks. Let's see..." Tony started doing something inside the armor. "That signal isn't very strong. But I might be able to... there!" He picked up the helmet and tapped it. "Is this thing on?"

_Tony?_

Martin straightened. "Liv!"

_Martin, you can hear us?_

"Yes!" the Doctor interrupted. "Olivia, where's River?"

_On my left. We're all here. We're all fine. They haven't hurt any of us._ Livvy answered. _Here._

Her voice was replaced by River's _Hello, Sweetie. Nice of you to call._

"Patched into Tony's armor through the screwdriver?" the Doctor asked. "Clever."

_And you can use the TARDIS to follow the signal back._

"Right. All right. Looks like we're splitting up. Who's for the rescue mission?" the Doctor asked.


	25. Chapter 25

 Martin took himself off into a corner to think, staring out the window at the snow-covered hills outside the palace, feeling Caval pressed against his leg. He could see the TARDIS in the distance, a brilliant blue against the white.

"What are you going to do?"

Martin didn't bother to turn. "I don't know, Sherlock. I... I can't be in two places at once. I should be going after Liv and Vee. But..."

"But you want to stay and protect Loki as well. I understand." Sherlock joined him at the window. "So I've decided for you. You'll stay. John and Tony and I will go with the Doctor."

"Now wait a moment--"

"Tony has to go, because we need his armor to track the signal back. I am going because this is my daughter and my granddaughter. John is going because I am going. And we may very well be able to extract Jim while we're there."

Martin nodded. "That all makes sense, but--"

"Loki must be protected. Right now, the only people he can trust are Angrboða, the twins, Willow, you, and Thor. Now, granted, Thor is an army all by himself, but we do not know what resources Fengr has at his disposal. He may have allies among the mages. But, he does not know that Willow is a witch." Sherlock looked at him and sniffed. "There's also the chance that this may be a trick to try and bring you to the Chitauri so that they can finally kill you."

"What?"

"Think!" Sherlock turned to face the room, and Martin noticed that it had gotten very quiet. "They attacked the house in force. Why? They didn't want Loki. They had him. If they wanted him dead, that would have been trivial. To spend so much effort to find him and take him back?" Sherlock sniffed and waved one hand. "Hardly worth the effort. They were done with him. They let him escape."

"Why?" Loki asked.

"So you would find Martin," Sherlock answered. "The Chitauri have been trying to kill Martin for years. Why?"

"Because of something I hadn't done yet," Martin answered. "Because... oh. I told General Fury that I had the feeling that whatever it was, it was coming."

"Oh, it is. And because the Chitauri have some limited time travel, they know what it is."

"Since when do the Chitauri have time travel?" the Doctor demanded.

"Apparently, they have it starting now, and they've been going back in time to kill me," Martin answered. "According to Jim, the assassins that tried for me the first time were looped back on themselves."

"They have it starting sometime in the future. Because they know who is involved already. There's no point in trying to kill you when you haven't brought yourself to their attention yet. They know what you will do, and they know what triggers it. So they let Loki escape, in order to set the events in motion." Sherlock frowned slightly. "Apparently, if Loki dies, whatever this event is will still happen."

"Or they'd have killed me right off."

"Exactly. But Martin... Martin is the key. But why? Why you? Is it your magic? Or your bloodline? Or both?"

"We're not going to find that out here," the Doctor said. "Tony, put your suit back on and let's get back to the TARDIS."

"Martin's not the only key," John said quietly. "Willow... you didn't want Willow here."

The Doctor stopped and turned. "No."

"Why not?" Willow asked.

"It's... complicated." The Doctor looked at her and smiled, but it was clearly forced. "There are fixed points in the fabric of time. Events that nothing, not even a Time Lord, can change. This is -- will be -- one of them."

"And you tried to change it anyway," John said.

The Doctor sighed. "I always do. Once, I managed it. Once." He looked bleak for a moment, then clapped his hands together. "Right. Let's go fetch our ladies, shall we?"

Angrboða dimmed the crystals and led them out of the room. To Martin's surprise, Fengr was waiting outside the door.

"My lady," he said, bowing slightly.

"Lord Ganglari will need a sleigh to take him back to his craft," Angrboða said. "Will you see to that, Fengr? I must report to the Queen."

Martin watched at Fengr went very still. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he bowed his head just a touch. He was, Martin realized, furious.

"As you wish, my lady," he said. "If you will come with me?"

He turned and stalked away, not looking back to see if anyone was following him.

"Hey, Fingers!" Tony called, walking down the hall after Fengr. "You might want to wait for the rest of us!"

"Sherlock," Martin said quietly. "Tell her I love her, will you?"

"Why?" Sherlock asked, looking puzzled. "She already knows."

"We'll tell her, Martin," John said. "Come on, Sherlock."

"Good luck," Thor called after them.

Once they were gone, Angrboða led the rest of them the other way. Byleist fell in next to Martin. "They're funny, those two."

"Who, Sherlock and John?"

"I've never met anyone like them."

"Nor will you again, I think," Thor said. "Sherlock... his mind is... inexplicable."

"Sherlock says that people look but they don't see," Martin said. "He sees things other people don't, or that people ignore, and can put all of it together in ways that make it so damned obvious that it feels like we should all have seen it from the start. The rest of us... we learned it from him."

"Is he a wizard?" Helblindi asked.

"No. Magic annoys him. He can't explain it, so he doesn't like it," Willow said.

Byleist nodded. "Then maybe he can teach us to see..."

"And we can teach him to listen." Helblindi finished.

"Listen?" Loki asked.

"You never listened to your magic?" Helblindi asked. "Or don't you remember?"

"I don't remember even having magic. But listen? Why?"

"Because magic sings," Angrboða said, sounding as if she were explaining it to a child. "At least, our magic does. Does Midgardian magic sing?"

"Not that I've noticed, no," Martin admitted.

"Oh. Pity." Angrboða stopped. "This is where we part. Highness, if you and Lady Willow will go that way, you'll come to the reception hall. Someone will be waiting to serve and we will meet you there."

#

It was surprising to Martin that sick-rooms always seemed to smell the same. He wasn't sure why, and didn't want to think too long about it, but he was glad that he'd sent Caval with Willow. This was no place for him. Angrboða led them into the room and closed the door behind them, but gestured that he and Loki should wait while the twins went ahead. They passed through a curtain and out of sight, and Martin could hear low voices. Then Byleist came back through the curtain.

"Loki? She wants to see you."

For a moment, Loki looked panicked. He backed up a step, bumping into Martin, who put his hands on Loki's shoulders. "It's all right," he murmured. "I'm coming with you."

Loki nodded and started forward, Martin on his heels. They passed through the curtains, and Martin saw Helblindi, standing on the far side of a large bed. In the middle of the bed was a woman, her hair almost completely snow white, her blue skin nearly translucent. She looked as if she were asleep, until they got closer. Then she opened her eyes.

"Loki?" she breathed, her voice trembling. "Do I dream once more?"

"I'm not a dream," Loki said. "I'm... I'm really here."

Fárbauti looked to the side. "Helblindi, help me up. Help me to sit."

Helblindi and Byleist both moved in, arranging cushions and helping their mother to sit up. Then they moved back as she held her hand out to Loki. "Come. Come and sit. Let me see you. My eyes are not as good as they once were."

Loki moved to the side of the bed and perched on the edge, letting Fárbauti take his hand. She smiled. "Look at you. You... you grew to be so beautiful. My son... I've waited so long."

Loki looked down, then met her eyes. "You know I don't remember you?"

He laughed. "My darling, I would be very surprised if you did. You were stolen from me before you were a month old. I didn't know for certain that you lived until Odin came to me. But I hoped. Oh, I hoped."

"Will you tell me?" Loki asked. "What happened?"

"Odin never told you?" Fárbauti asked.

"I don't know," Loki said.

"Loki's memories have been blocked, Ma'am," Martin said.

"He did it? Odin actually did it?" Fárbauti asked. She looked at Loki. "And you remember nothing?"

"I remember... small things," Loki said. "Enough to be frustrating. Why did he do that to me?"

"He explained to me that the Asgardians sentenced you to eternal imprisonment and eternal silence, for your crimes against Midgard. But he could not accept that for you. He loved you as his own son. So he came to me with this wild plan. He would erase your memories, create for you a new life, and bring you back to Jotunheim. That was the first I knew that he had raised you as his own. Naturally, I agreed. You would not have know you were mine, but I would have seen you. I would have know you lived, and that you were happy. That would have been enough." She patted Loki's hand. "You have not introduced me to your companion, my son."

Loki looked up and over his shoulder at Martin. "This is Martin, Ma'am. He is... my friend."

"Considerably more than your friend," Fárbauti said softly. Martin stepped forward and put his hand on Loki's shoulder. "You've taken a mate?"

"No, Ma'am," Martin answered. "I've already got a wife."

"Ah. So you are heart-bound, but not mated. It is well." Fárbauti closed her eyes. Then she took a long breath. "You have suffered, my son. I can feel the pain in you. I would not ask you to take on more. But I must. My time comes--"

"But I only just met you!"

Fárbauti smiled. "I would have liked more time to know you. But no one may fight their _wyrd._ You know this. Now I ask you. Will you accept your _wyrd_ , my son? Will you be King when I am gone?"

Loki shivered under Martin's hand, looking down at the coverlet. "I... I always wanted to be king. Odin told us that we were born to be kings, Thor and I. I thought... that he would chose me over Thor to rule Asgard. And now... you offer me a throne... and I no longer want it. I..." He looked up, and quietly said, "Mother, do you know what it is that I've done?"

She nodded slowly. "I know. Odin told me all. And he told me that he blames himself for what you became. That he should have told you all that he knew."

"Why did you never look for me?" Loki asked.

"I did," Fárbauti answered. "What Odin could not have told you, what he never knew, was that Laufey stole you from your cradle the night of the last battle. He would have blamed your death on the Asgardians. The last days of the war were crazed, and by the time I discovered his deception, you were gone. I thought you might have been taken, adopted by someone who'd lost a child. But I could never find you. I did not know I was looking in the wrong place. And I did not know that Odin hid you from me."

"Why would he do that?" Martin asked.

"To keep him safe," Fárbauti answered. "Loki was named. He was acknowledged. To find such an infant left to die... it meant that the parents had turned on it. He kept Loki hidden to protect him from the people he thought were trying to murder him." She shook her head. "In a way, he succeeded. If Laufey had known he failed, he would have tried again."

"Why?" Loki whispered. "My father tried to kill me. Why?"

"Because you were not what he wanted, my son." Fárbauti took his hand and held it tightly. "But you were everything I wanted. Everything. My son. Tell me you'll take my throne. Tell me you'll protect your brothers." Her voice faltered. "Tell me you will avenge me."

Martin went cold, and Loki sat straight up, shock plain on his face. "Avenge you?"

"Angrboða?" Fárbauti said. "You have not told them?"

"I thought it best that you tell them yourself, my Queen."

"Ah." Fárbauti closed her eyes again. "My health began to fail some months ago. Our healers could do nothing. Could find no reason. We still cannot. And yet I die."

Martin swallowed and squeezed Loki's shoulder. "Ma'am? May I...?" He faltered, not certain what he was asking.

"My Queen, Martin is a seithman," Angrboða said.

"Is it so?" Fárbauti nodded. "You may, my son."

Martin bowed slightly and stepped forward, rubbing his hands together. No physical reason _could_ mean a magical one. But how would someone be able to use a magical poison on a mage, and not have it be detected?

And yet... "How many months?" Martin asked.

"Perhaps... six?" Fárbauti answered.

"Right. Let me see..." Martin held his hands out, hovering over Fárbauti's heart. Something... cold?

Oh. Oh, no... he probed deeper, heard Fárbauti gasp, felt the touch of cold, wild power, then pulled away.

"Martin?" Loki took his shoulders, steadying him. "Martin, you've gone pale as a sheet!"

"How can you tell?" Byleist said, just loud enough to be heard.

"Hush!" Angrboða hissed.

"It's Tesseract energy," Martin said. "It's... dear God, the Chitauri are killing you by millimeters."

"What?" Loki looked horrified. "How can they be doing that?"

"There's a traitor in the Jotun court," Martin answered. "And it's not necessarily someone close to the Queen. It could be anyone!" He met Loki's eyes, and knew that Loki was thinking the same that he was. Fengr.

"How do we find them?" Helblindi asked.

"I don't know yet," Martin said. He stepped back, gnawing on his thumbnail. "I... that might have to wait for Sherlock and John."

"Is it reversible?" Byleist asked. " _Godi,_ can you save our mother?"

Martin swallowed, scowling. He looked at Loki again, then back at Byleist. "I'll try, Byliest."


	26. Chapter 26

 The central column of the TARDIS stopped moving, and the Doctor touched a switch, making a panel in the wall slide open. It turned out to be a viewscreen, and it showed a spaceship, floating in a field of stars.

"Where are we?" John asked.

"Outside the Chitauri ship," the Doctor asked. "Technically, we're too close to them for them to pick us up on their scanners... I hope. I wasn't about to take us straight into the ship without some idea of what we were dealing with."

"Well, they haven't blown us out of the sky yet, so I'm guessing you're right about them not seeing us," Tony said. "What next?"

"Check in with River," the Doctor said, waving at Tony. "Go on."

Tony nodded and touched something on his arm. "Psst!" he whispered. "You alone?"

A moment later, River's voice sounded. _You made good time._

"What's it look like in there?"

_Quiet. It's been very quiet._ River answered.

"Quiet is good," John murmured.

_If you home in on the signal, you should be able to materialize in the same room where we're being held. We can get out with them none the wiser._

"River, Jim is in there," John said. "Have you seen him?"

_Jimmy is in here_? Livvy's voice took over. _What is he doing here?_

"He might be the reason you all are still alive," Sherlock answered. "Are you all right, Poppet?"

_I'm fine, Daddy. Is Martin with you?_

"No. I made him stay behind. He said to tell you he loves you."

_I know that. But it's nice to hear._

River's voice came back on. _Doctor, I'm not entirely certain that there is anyone else here. I've been listening at the door, and I can't hear anything. We heard movement before._

"Have Violet look?" Tony suggested.

_We'll have to wake her up_. Livvy said. Her voice faded, only to come back a moment later. _Doctor, Vee says there are people here._ People. _Not aliens._

"People? What does she-- " Sherlock burst out laughing. "Oh, Jim! The other Asgardians!"

"He saved them all!" John finished.

_Doctor... Vee says she feels Jimmy, too. And he's hurting._

Sherlock's laughter cut off. "Hurting?"

"Right. We're coming in."

#

John walked out of the TARDIS, gun ready, and looked around. "We missed," he called over his shoulder. "There's no one here." He looked around once more. "There's really no one here. It looks... abandoned."

Sherlock came out and looked around, then walked further out into the large room. "There's been no one here for several hours, at least."

"Where the hell did they go?" Tony asked, his voice amplified by his armor. He walked out and looked around, then pointed. "Life signs in there. And more over there."

"And Jim?" Sherlock demanded.

"Dunno," Tony answered, turning his head from side to side. "Too much interference. Let's get everyone out, then I might be able to see him."

The Doctor had been standing in the TARDIS door. He looked at the two doors that Tony had indicated, then picked one and walked over to it, pulling a tool out of his pocket. He pointed it at the lock -- it glowed blue and hummed, and John heard a loud click.

"What was that?" Tony demanded.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor answered.

"Where do I get one?"

The Doctor grinned at him, then threw the door open. "Anyone here who wants to go home?" he called.

"Ganglari!"

The Asgardians filed out of their cell, looking around and all talking at once. The Doctor tried to talk over them, trying to get them to stop, but they couldn't hear him. Until John whistled, the sound piercing the din. Everyone fell silent, staring at him.

"Right," he said, drawing on his never-forgotten years in the military. "The ladies are over there. Sherlock and I will get them out and bring them to the TARDIS. Jim Moran is also here. I want search parties. No less than four per party. Who has weapons?"

Sif stepped forward. "Sir--"

"Captain," Sherlock corrected. She glared at him.

"Captain," she said. "Is Jim Moran the man we all saw with the Chitauri? A little taller than you? Dark hair?"

"Yes. He was a plant, and is quite possibly the reason you were all sent here, and not dumped in a supernova somewhere. Our telepath says he's here, and he's hurt. He may not be able to answer you if you call him. Now, we have no idea when the Chitauri are coming back. So we need to find him, and fast." John looked around at the people staring at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move!"

The Asgardians scattered like birds. Sherlock came up behind John and murmured, "I do so enjoy seeing you do that, Captain."

"Thank you. Now, let's get everyone else on board." He turned and saw the Doctor already at the door. There was another click, and the door swung open. The Doctor looked inside and called, "Who's ready to leave?"

"Ganglari!"

Frigga came out first, followed by Violet, who ran to Sherlock and threw her arms around his legs. "Granda!" He picked her up and hugged her tightly, then walked over to look into the room.

"Sherlock, will you escort the ladies into the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked. "The library, I think. Go straight through the control room, down the hall. Second... no... third left, second door on the right. We'll leave as soon as we have everyone back on board."

River came out, with Livvy at her side. Without a word, Sherlock gathered her close and held her, then nodded. "Of course, Grandfather."

"Captain!"

John turned, seeing Sif coming back at a run. She skidded to a stop and took a deep breath, obviously rattled by something. "Captain, we found him. You... you need to come see this."

John looked over his shoulder. "Sherlock, go inside. Stay with Livvy and Vee."

"But--"

" _Do as I said_!"

Sherlock blinked, then nodded. "Yes, Captain."

John turned, knowing that Sherlock would stay in the TARDIS, and raced down the hall after Sif. The others were waiting at an open door. John pushed past them, and stopped just inside.

John wasn't certain what was more surprising -- that the Chitauri even _had_ a torture chamber, or that they had what looked like a fairly conventional torture chamber. It looked, he thought as he turned, almost like a movie set. There was nothing there that he didn't recognize. Things had been used recently, though. He smelled blood. Sif touched his arm and pointed, and John moved further into the room. Then he heard the soft, pained moan.

"Jim?" he called. There was something back here, partially hidden... "Oh, dear God. Sif, help me!" He holstered his gun and ran toward the stocks. Toward the weakly-struggling naked man imprisoned in the stocks. "It's all right, Jim," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "It's all right. I've got you." He fumbled at the gag, heard Jim groan, and let it be. He could deal with it later. For now...

It was a pair of stocks, both perpendicular to the floor. The lower ones held Jim's legs wide, and kept his feet off the floor. His entire body weight was supported by the second set of stocks, which ran behind his back, his arms looped around so that the stocks were pressing up into his armpits. His entire front -- chest, belly, groin, thighs -- were streaked with blood and livid welts, and John could see more blood marking the top of the stocks, where Jim's body rested.

"We weren't sure..." Sif said. "We were afraid that if we moved him, we would hurt him even more. I came to get you -- Thor said you were a healer."

"Right. You were right. Now, help me. Get those lower ones. Get them open. You!" John turned, pointing at one of the others. "What's your name?"

"Fandral, Captain."

"Fandral. All right. You come behind him. When his legs are freed, he's going to drop. You need to keep him from doing that, or he might rip both arms clean open."

Fandral nodded and came closer, walking around the stocks. He frowned, then took his cloak off, wrapping it around Jim's waist. Then he wrapped his arms around Jim, using the cloak as a cushion. Despite that, Jim moaned and tried to pull away.

"Jim!" John raised his voice. "Jim, listen to me! You need to stay still. We're getting you out, but you need to stay still. Do you hear me?" Jim groaned, but he nodded and stopped moving. John looked over to where Sif and one of the others were working. "Well?"

"Just a moment, Captain," the man said. "If I break this the wrong way, I might break both his legs." He did something, and John heard wood cracking. "Fandral!"

"I've got him," Fandral answered. "Nicely done, Hogun."

Hogun didn't answer; he and Sif worked the broken pieces of the stocks apart and freed Jim's legs.

"All right. Let's see this other... there's no lock on this!" Hogun said. "Fandral, lift him a bit." As Fandral lifted Jim up, Hogun raised the upper bar of the stocks and freed Jim's wrists. "That was devious. His own weight kept him prisoner."

"Hogun, lay your cloak down," Fandral said. "We can use it to carry him."

In short order, they had bundled Jim into the makeshift litter.

"Where's Volstagg?"

"I sent him to go find the others," Hogun said. "We're done here, with finding this one. I want out of here."

"Good plan," John said. He looked down at Jim, who had fallen quiet. As he watched, one eye opened. The white was completely red. Jim nodded once and closed his eye again.

"Will he be all right?" Sif asked.

"I'll do my best," John answered.

#

In the corridor, they were joined by several other Asgardians, all of whom insisted on helping. John found himself pushed out of position, trotting along behind them as they headed back to the TARDIS. As they reached the door, John heard someone call:"Captain!"

John turned, saw Volstagg coming towards him. "What is it?"

"Everyone is back to the ship. But you might want to see this. There's a dead Jotun back here."

"What?" John turned, saw the others vanish into the TARDIS. He followed, stuck his head in through the door and called, "Sif. Don't let anyone touch him. Understand?"

"Yes, Captain."

He nodded and turned back to Volstagg. "Show me."

Volstagg led him down a different hall, and toward a door. "I almost missed it the first time."

"It?"

"Frost Giant."

John glared at him. "So. That poor bastard in there was a thinking, feeling being. Not an 'it'." He pushed past Volstagg into what turned out to be a small room. Inside, he stopped. "Oh.... fuck." He went to one knee beside the body. "Poor sot. Male. From the state of decomposition, not dead for long. But, from the state of emaciation, he's been a prisoner for a long time. I've no way of judging ages, not with as long as you lot live. Any guesses?"

Volstagg hummed softly. "Can't really say. It... he... he wasn't very big, though."

"Hard to say, with as starved as he is. But I think you're right, based on his bones. So, either a very young warrior, or someone of the lines of power. Like Loki or Angrboða." He looked around, then up at Volstagg. "Did you see his head anywhere?"

"No, Captain."

John nodded and stood up. He sighed and started to turn away, then stopped and pulled out his mobile. He took photos from every angle he could think of. Then he stopped. "Volstagg, these marks on the skin. The raised parts. Angrboða's don't look like Byleist's, or Helblindi's. Why not?"

"I don't know much about them, Captain. But you're right. I've met all of them, and each of them have different ridges. Well, the twins were similar, but not much."

"I wonder... might be like a human fingerprint." He took a few more photos, close up shots of the chest and upper arms. "Right. I'm done. Let's get out of here."

They trotted back down the halls, and found the Doctor pacing in front of the TARDIS. "Where were you?" he demanded. "Sherlock is about to tear down the walls."

"Sorry. I've got a puzzle for him. That will distract him. Is everyone on board?"

"Yes."

"Good." John and Volstagg hurried inside, and the Doctor followed. John paid no attention to the control room -- he kept on going, hearing Sherlock's raised voice from down the hall.

"The Captain said no!" Sif insisted.

"I'm here, Sif. Thank you. Look, Frigga is down in the library. Why don't you go see her, see if everyone is all right down there?" John took his mobile and tossed it to Sherlock. "There you go. That should keep you out of trouble for a half-an-hour."

"Why am I not allowed to see Jim?" Sherlock demanded. "What are you talking about... oh. Oh." He focused on the mobile, scrolling through the photographs. "Interesting."

"Deduce away, love. I'll let you know when you can see Jim." John knocked on the door and let himself in. Fandral turned and visibly relaxed.

"There isn't much I can do for him, Captain," he said. "I bandaged the worst of it but... I'm glad you're here."

John nodded and went to the bed, sitting down next to Jim, who was laying on his side. "I hope it was worth it, Jimmy," he said. "Let's see this thing." He reached for the gag, and was surprised when Jim pulled away. "Hey now, don't you want it off?"

Jim shook his head, then looked around, gesturing. John looked around, then got up and rummaged through a drawer until he found a pencil and a pad of paper. He gave both to Jim, who scrawled a single word.

"Spikes?" John read aloud. "That... that thing has _spikes_?" He handed the pad back to Jim. "Show me. Draw it out."

Jim took a moment, then handed the pad back. John studied it for a moment, let out a long breath, then looked at Fandral. "How are you with blood?"

"I'm a warrior. I can deal with some blood."

John refrained from mentioning the soldiers he'd known, who had fought like tigers, then fainted at the sight of blood in the surgery. He examined the gag, then frowned. "I... I think I need a second opinion. Fandral, do you know where the ladies are?"

"Down the hall a bit?"

"Yes. Would you go fetch River for me?"

Fandral disappeared, and John used the time to examine Jim's other wounds. His wrists and ankles were raw under makeshift bandages. His back was as brutally beaten as his front, and the skin under his arms and along his sides was torn.

"Well, Mister Moran," John murmured, pulling the blankets back up. "You're a mess." Jim snorted, his eyes closed. He reached out and fumbled for John's hand, holding on tightly. John reached out with his free hand and stroked Jim's hair. "I don't want him to see you like this," he said softly. "Let's get you cleaned up, bandaged up. Then I'll let Sherlock in."

Jim nodded once more. There was a knock at the door, and River came in. Fandral followed, closing the door and standing against it. River looked startled, coming over to the bed and looking closely at Jim's face.

"I assume this is why you wanted me?" she asked.

"I've never seen anything like this before. And Jim won't let me touch it." John passed the pad to her. "Do you know what this is?"

"They told you what it was, didn't they? And what it does?" she asked Jim, her voice gentle. "Before they put it on you?"

Jim nodded, and River looked at John. "It's called a Traitor's Bit. Nasty piece of machinery from Tirzana Four. The spikes deploy once the locks engage, piercing the tongue. The spikes contain two toxins. One is released if the gag is removed improperly. That one kills instantaneously. The other is released if the gag is removed properly."

"And what does that one do?" John asked.

"It's an anti-coagulant," River answered slowly.

"Wait... you're telling me that no matter what we do here, if we take that thing off, he's dead?" John asked. "Either poison, or he bleeds to death?"

"I'm sorry, John," River said.

"And there's no way to defeat the locks so that the poisons don't release?" Fandral asked.

River looked up, looked distant. "Go and get the Doctor, will you?"

The Doctor came in at speed, unusually serious. "Fandral says a Traitor's Bit? How do you even know what one is?"

"Spoilers, Sweetie," River answered. "I've never heard of a way to beat one. Tell me you have?"

The Doctor turned abruptly, pacing back and forth violently. "The Tirzani never let spies live, River. If you know what this is, you know that, too. There's no antidote for the poison, and no way to stop the bleeding."

"There's one way."

River's voice was quiet, but the look on her face spoke louder than words. "No," John said. "No, to whatever it is."

"You don't even know!" the Doctor snapped.

"Not if it's going to cost you... whatever it is that's making River look so sad." John looked at Jim, who nodded. "We'll find another way."

The Doctor smiled. "John Watson. Noble, loving John Watson. There is no other way." He looked at River. "You scolded me the last time."

"You wasted it!" River answered. "I didn't need it. These are your grandsons."

"And you're my wife!"

"Wait... wait..." John stammered. "Say that again?"

The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets. "Oh. Martin didn't tell you. Yes. Sorry, we never got around to proper introductions. Captain Doctor John Watson-Holmes, this is Doctor River Song. My wife."

"Don't call me Grandmother," River added.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Does Sherlock know?"

"No idea. Now, shall we?" the Doctor shooed John out of the way, then looked up. "Let's have him in. In case things go wrong."

John nodded and went to the door. "Sherlock?"

Sherlock looked up from John's mobile. He straightened and walked closer. "How bad it is? I can see that this is very bad, but... is he still alive?"

"Yes. But things might go very badly very quickly. The Doctor is going to try and make things right. I'll explain later. For right now, come on." He took Sherlock's hand and led him into the room.

The Doctor waited until the door was closed, then nodded to John. "Come here. I want your help. Both of you, actually. John, help him to sit, and sit behind him. Put your arms around him. Keep him still. Understand?"

"Yes." John sat down and helped Jim get into position, seeing Sherlock's eyes widen at the sight of the gag.

"Sherlock, I want you to hold his legs."

"Grandfather?"

"Not now, Sherlock." The Doctor looked up. "Once I start, I'm not going to be able to stop for anything. So yes or no."

Sherlock moved into position, and the Doctor looked at River. "A basin. A towel. Something. This is going to be messy."

"I'll get it." She got up and hurried away, came back with a large bowl, setting it on Jim's lap. The Doctor nodded, meeting Jim's eyes. "Once I get the gag off, lean forward, over the bowl. I will not lie to you. This will hurt. The Tirzani did not like traitors."

Jim nodded, closing his eyes. Then he nodded again.

"Right. On three." The Doctor reached out and put both hands on the gag. "One... two...."

On three, he pulled the gag away. It clattered into the bowl, the sound nearly drowned out by Jim's scream and the crash as the bowl hit the floor. John was hard put to hold Jim still as the Doctor grabbed him, putting one hand on either side of Jim's head as blood poured from Jim's mouth. Then... a bright gold fog appeared, surrounding the Doctor's hands and spreading to envelope Jim. He went limp, and John felt at his throat for a pulse.

"John?" Sherlock asked, his voice a harsh whisper.

"Strong pulse," John answered. "He... Doctor?"

"He'll be fine," the Doctor answered, pulling back. He looked down at the bloodstained bedclothes and made a face. "That's a bit gory, isn't it? Might want to get that cleaned up before he wakes up."

"Grandfather," Sherlock said as he stood up. He looked back at the bed, then down at the ground. "Thank you."

The Doctor smiled and reached out, tousling Sherlock's hair. "Help John clean up. We'll be back in Jotunheim soon. And you're welcome." He turned and left, and River moved to follow him.

"River?" John asked. "What was that?"

"What?"

"That gold fog. What was it?"

River looked at the door, then back at John. "Regeneration energy. He's given your Jim some of his own life." She smiled. "Tell him not to waste it."


	27. Chapter 27

 "I'm sorry. I can't do more," Martin said softly. "It's... I keep having to remind myself that the Tesseract energy isn't magic, no matter what it feels like."

Fárbauti smiled and patted his hand. "You tried, my son. That is all I can ask of you. And I do feel stronger. I think... perhaps I may walk."

"Mother!" Byleist gasped.

"Only a little way," Fárbauti said. "I've no wish to damage myself."

"You shouldn't push. I'm not entirely sure what I did," Martin told her. "And... I don't know if I can do it again."

"Then only a little," Fárbauti said. "Only... because this is something I must do. Loki, will you lend me your arm?"

Loki had stepped away from the bed while Martin worked, standing silent and still in a corner. Now he stepped forward, bowed like a courtier, and offered Fárbauti his arm. "Your Majesty?" he murmured, an impish grin on his face.

"Oh, go along with you!' Fárbauti said with a laugh. "At least you've learned manners. I want to go to the window, Loki. I haven't looked out over the land in far too long. Then... there's a casket, in that chest there. I'll want it."

"I'll get it, Mother," Byleist said.

"Thank you." Fárbauti leaned on Loki's arm as they walked, and Martin followed them, trying not to hover, but unable to back away. He was afraid she would fall, and she was so fragile....

Angrboða moved ahead of them and opened the heavy curtains, filling the room with light. The windows were floor-to-ceiling glass, and there was a balcony on the other side.

"Open the windows," Fárbauti said. "Let me go out."

"Are you sure?" Loki asked.

"I am."

Angrboða nodded and opened both windows, stepping out of the way so that Loki could bring Fárbauti out onto the balcony. Martin waited in the door.

"You have not answered my question, Loki," Fárbauti said gently. "Will you be King? Will you rule all of these? All of these people?"

"Ma'am, if I said no, what would happen?" Loki asked. "Byleist and Helblindi would inherit, no?"

"Not at first. They're still too young. I remarried, some sixty years back. I was a lonely woman, and I found myself being courted by a lovely man of a minor family. I had thought myself past bearing, but I was surprised." She looked back at the twins, standing with Martin. "I'm sure Angrboða told you of her worries?"

"Yes. I just... I don't want to foster bad blood by coming in, a complete stranger, and stealing my brothers' inheritance."

"You're not!" Byleist protested. "It's always been yours!"

"We've got lands of our own, from our father," Helblindi added. "And when we marry, then perhaps we'll marry our children off to yours."

"So don't refuse on our account..."

"Especially since if we take the throne, there might be war..."

"Why?" Martin asked.

"We don't have both bloodlines," Byleist answered. "The only way to keep both lines happy is to have the both on the throne. Warrior and Power. Loki has that. We don't. And we've heard too much about the wars. We don't want that again."

Martin nodded, then looked at the twins. "May I ask how old you are?"

The twins looked at each other, then at Angrboða. "In their years?"

"Ah... forty?" Angrboða answered.

Martin laughed. "That's how old I am!"

"And you're married?" Helblindi asked. "And you have children?"

"Do you?" Fárbauti asked.

"A daughter. Twin boys on the way." Martin answered. "When... when Grandfather brings them back, I'll bring them to meet you."

"I look forward to it. But back?"

"The Chitauri attacked Asgard," Loki said. "They took as hostages all of the women and children who remained in the palace. Including Martin's wife and daughter."

Fárbauti looked distressed. "And you've been hovering over me. Oh, Martin--"

"No, please," Martin interrupted. "Please. We... Olivia's father went after her. He... well, he ordered me to stay here." He glanced at Loki, who nodded. "We... we were worried about Loki's safety."

"Ah," Fárbauti said. She looked out into the courtyard and pointed. "Look! That wasn't there before!"

Martin stepped forward and laughed. "The TARDIS! They're back!"

"Then I can see we will shortly be very busy. Loki, answer my question."

Loki looked at Martin, then back at Fárbauti. "I... yes. Yes, Mother."

Fárbauti caught her breath, and Martin saw tears start. "Thank you. Then... I have something for you. Byleist?"

Byleist came forward, carrying a silver casket. Fárbauti rested her hands on it, but did not open the top. "I commissioned this the day I found out I was pregnant. And I presented it to you with your name, my son. When you came to manhood, it would have been yours. All of this was to have been yours. Tell me again, my son. Will you accept stewardship of Jotunheim? Will you take your place at my side, as my heir?" Her voice projected out over the courtyard, where a crowd had formed. Martin looked down, saw amongst the Jotuns the Doctor and River and a crowd of Asgardians. As he watched, Thor and Willow joined the throng; Willow saw him looking and waved.

Loki hesitated for a moment, looked down at the people watching them, then looked back at Fárbauti. "I will. And I thank you, Mother, for your trust in me."

Fárbauti smiled. "It is good. Kneel, my son."

This time, Loki didn't hesitate. He knelt in front of her, his eyes never leaving Fárbauti's. She nodded and opened the casket. Martin caught a glimpse of silver before Fárbauti lifted out an ornate crown. She held it high for a moment, the metal catching the light and holding it, then lowered it onto Loki.

"It's too big?" Martin whispered.

"Watch," Helblindi whispered back. Fárbauti held the crown in place, and the metal -- the only word Martin had for it was _shifted_. It shrunk in her hands, conforming to the shape of Loki's head, until it was seated snugly on his brow, the silver gleaming bright against his dark hair, the pattern of the metal resembling fine lace, or the etchings of frost on glass. Loki closed his eyes as the crown settled into place, and Martin fought to keep from gasping aloud as his skin darkened to deep azure. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer green, but brilliant red.

It only last a moment; by the time Loki had gotten to his feet, his skin had paled, and his eyes were once more green. Fárbauti took his arm and turned him to face the now-crowded courtyard. "Let them see you, my son. Let them see their King."

"Not King. Not yet," Loki murmured softly. "You are their Queen." He glanced at her, smiled shyly. "My Queen."

"And if I have anything to say about it, you'll be their Queen for a long time," Martin added. Loki looked back over his shoulder and smiled broadly.

"All right, you two. Enough," Fárbauti said with a laugh. "Let them see you, my son," she repeated, and looked out over the courtyard. "My people! See you now that my hopes were not misguided! My son has returned! I give you Loki, son of Fárbauti, and heir to the Jotun throne!"

The roar of approval from below was startling, and Martin saw Loki take a step back, his eyes wide with shock. He stepped forward again as the sound resolved, crystallized into a chant. He looked back over his shoulder and laughed nervously.

"They're chanting my name! Martin... what do I do?"

"Talk to them," Fárbauti answered. "Let them know you."

"Talk to them," Loki repeated. "Will you... I can't do to my voice what you did. Not yet."

"I will let them hear you. Talk, my son."

Loki licked his lips and stepped forward, holding his arms wide. Instead of quieting, the roar grew louder. It continued until Loki, who looked something at a loss, raised his finger to his lips. Apparently, the very human gesture crossed the species language gap, and Martin tried not to giggle as the sound from below quieted and fell silent. Loki waited, lowering his hands to the rail.

"I am Loki, son of Fárbauti," he said, his voice ringing out clear. "And... I appear to have been given a purpose for which I feel... undeserving. Undeserving of your trust, you who have never known me as more than a name and a wish. And undeserving of... of such regard. I will, I hope, come to earn it." He looked out and smiled. "I am unfamiliar with the ways of the Jotun court. And my ways will be strange to you. I know my looks are already strange to you--" a wave of laughter from below, and his smile broadened. "I may keep this face -- it is, after all, the one I've seen in my mirror my entire life. But I promise to learn your -- our -- ways, and to honor them. As you have honored me." He bowed his head, and his final words were soft, "Thank you."

He turned to Fárbauti and bowed deeply to her, eliciting another roar of approval. Fárbauti waited until he rose, then pulled him into her arms.

"My son," she said, her voice choked. "My beautiful son. Welcome home."

#

"And you really don't mind?" Martin asked Byleist as they all stepped back into the room.

"Not at all," Byleist answered. "We'll support you however we can, Brother, but it's best that your head wears the crown."

"I'll try and be worthy of it," Loki said. He reached up and touched it, and grinned. "Is there a mirror? I didn't see it."

"In the case, there," Angrboða said, pointing. "Ma'am, you wanted to meet Martin's wife. Should I go fetch them?"

"And the rest of my son's friends, yes," Fárbauti answered. "And then, I want to know what it is you've discovered about these invaders. And how we may defeat them."

All at once, Martin couldn't stand still. He started pacing and had to clasp his hands together. Loki stared at him for a moment, then moved to stand in front of him.

"She's not going to hate you for staying here," he said.

"But--"

"She isn't." Loki took Martin's hands. "And if she is angry... I'll talk to her. Because I don't think I could have done this without having you here."

Martin smiled weakly. "This... does open up an entirely other can of worms, doesn't it? I mean... you're Crown Prince now. You can't come shuttling off to Midgard on the weekends."

"Why not? I do it," Thor called as he came into the room. He was beaming, and he set Mjolnir down inside the door before coming over and hugging Loki tightly. "You were magnificent! Father would have been so proud of you!"

"As am I," Frigga said, coming over and claiming Loki from Thor.

"Thank you, Mother," Loki said. Then he looked startled. "Oh. I... appear to have two mothers now. That might be confusing."

"Try having four fathers," Livvy said wryly. "You get used to it. You were wonderful."

Loki hugged her, then laughed. "You came to me before your own husband?"

"You needed the hug more."

"I object to that," Martin called, coming over and wrapping his arms around Livvy. "God, I was worried about you, Liv."

"We were fine. They herded us into a room and locked the door. And never came back. But we weren't there for very long, I don't think."

"You don't think?" Martin asked.

"Feeling a little... I'm not sure. Distant." Livvy sighed and leaned into his arms. "It's crowded in here."

Martin looked around and frowned. "Where are Sherlock and John? And Jim? Did you find Jim?"

Tony answered, "He was hurt. But the Doctor did some kind of hocus-pocus, and now he's all right. But Sherlock and John... well, they're having some private time."

"Papa!"

Martin turned at the sound of Violet's voice, scooping her up and hugging her tightly. "Oh, Poppet. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Papa. I'm hungry."

"We can't have that," Fárbauti said, coming up next to Martin. "We'll send for something. This is your family, Martin?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Martin answered. "My wife, Olivia and my daughter Violet. Darling, this is Queen Fárbauti, Loki's birth mother."

"Your Majesty--"

"Don't you dare try to bow to me, young lady!" Fárbauti scolded. "Come and rest. I bore twin boys myself, and I remember how tired I was."

"You should rest, too, Mother," Loki said. "Are we all here?"

"We are now," John answered as he, Sherlock and Jim filed into the room behind Angrboða.

"Can we have the room sealed, like we did in Angrboða's rooms?" Loki asked.

"Helblindi?" Fárbauti asked.

"Once the door is closed," Helblindi answered. "There. We're sealed. Everyone should sit, I think?"

They shuffled around chairs and cushions, until they were sitting in a large oblong, one side of which was the bed. Fárbauti reclined against the cushions, now visibly tired, but insistent on hearing what they knew. Loki sat next to her, and pulled Martin down to sit with him. Olivia sat on Martin's other side, and he gave in and put his arms around both her and Loki.

"Good. All right. What do we know?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, while Hagar the Horrible and his friends were off looking for Jim, I went looking for the main computers," Tony volunteered. "And that ship was abandoned. The computers were all completely stripped. There was no power source. It was dead in space. I don't think they were coming back. And no signs of the Tesseract."

"They weren't coming back," Jim said, speaking slowly and in a low voice. "They told me that they were leaving, and that I would die knowing that everyone I tricked them into saving would either suffocate or starve to death, because of me." He looked down, then shook his head. "I... think they gave me your old room, Loki."

Martin felt Loki stiffen. "Jim..."

"I'm all right," Jim said, smiling slightly. "The Doctor put me right. But... what else did I learn? The base is here. On Jotunheim. I don't know where, though. I fu-- I screwed up before I found out."

"They are here?" Fárbauti asked. "How could they be?"

"You've been bedridden for how long?" Martin asked. "There's no telling how long they've been there, especially since they probably did that.... whatever it is to you to hide their moving in." He looked over at Willow, sitting on the floor with Caval's head in her lap. "Will, take a look at the Queen, would you?"

"I can see it from here. That's pretty nasty. And... it looks like the same energy that was blocking Loki's memories. I don't think there's much I can do about that. Did you try?"

"Yes. I couldn't touch it."

"Is the lady another mage?" Fárbauti asked.

"My teacher, Ma'am," Martin explained.

"Volstagg found something else," John said. He took his mobile out, looked down at it, then passed it to Byleist. "I'll show you how to operate it in a moment. But first tell me, the patterns in your skin. They're random, or are there familial traits?"

"There are similarities within families," Byleist answered. "Patterns. Placement sometimes. Color and width."

"If I show you something, would you be able to identify them by their skin patterning?" John asked.

"Perhaps. But why--" Byleist stopped talking as John did something. "How... how do I work this?"

John showed him, and Byleist stared for a moment before passing the mobile to Helblindi. "Look, and then show Mother."

Helblindi looked, and nearly dropped the mobile.

"You know who it is," Sherlock said.

"It's impossible," Byleist said. Hellblindi nodded and passed the mobile to Fárbauti, who looked at the photos, then back up at John.

"Where did you find this body?" she demanded.

"On the Chitauri ship. You can see it looks like he was a prisoner for a long time."

"The Jotun?" Jim asked. "He was. I don't know how long... they used another of those Traitor's Bits on him. But he snuck into the torture chamber before they gagged me. Brought me water. They caught him and killed him. I never knew his name."

"His name was Aurvandil," Byleist said. "And... he is our father. Helblindi's and mine."

"But it's not possible," Helblindi added. "We saw him the day before we left for Asgard!"

"He's not living at court anymore," Fárbauti said. "We separated... some five years ago, I think. It was amicable. When you live as long as we do, marriages are rarely forever."

"Wait? Aurvandil? We met him today!" Willow said. She looked shocked. "In the reception room. He was the one who came and told us that the TARDIS had come back. And... I don't know, it was really weird. Caval was afraid of him."

"Caval? Superdog was afraid of him?" Tony repeated. "Oh, that's not good."

"No, but he liked Fengr," Thor said. "And Martin, Fengr asked if I would ask you if you'd let him put Caval to stud with one of his hunting dogs."

Martin rubbed his face. "Caval liked Fengr? Oh, that just complicates things even more. How can a dead man be in court?"

"When he's not a dead man at all," Jim answered immediately. "When he's a shape-shifter."

Martin groaned. "Oh, no. Oh... right. The Chitauri can do that!"

"So... Aurvandil is our traitor. And as the former husband of the Queen, I presume he has access to her that no one else would have?" River asked. "Say... intimate access?"

Fárbauti looked embarrassed. "You must all think me an old fool."

"Not at all!" Frigga said. "He was your husband, and you cared for him. How could you not trust him?"

"I think I'd have prior experiences with not trusting just because he was my husband!"

"All right, enough with the blaming. What do we _do_?" Martin asked.

"I have another question," Jim said. "And... I think this might be what tripped me up. But why would the Chitauri want to know about Harry Potter? Because they kept asking me about Hogwarts."

 


	28. Chapter 28

 John swore violently. Martin went blank for a moment. Hogwarts? Then he remembered.

"Oh, no..." he gasped. "Oh... oh _Christ!_ I... I... oh, my god. Jimmy, it's my fault. It's my fault. I... I was taking the piss and I told him that Tony was a wizard and I was a wizard and Tony went to Salem Institute and I went to Hogwarts and I never even thought that he was working for them and you're going to murder me horribly--"

"Martin!"

Martin stopped, staring at the Doctor, who had grabbed him by the shoulders.

"It's not your fault," the Doctor said. "The Chitauri are telepaths."

"They are?" Martin asked weakly. "They... they are?"

"Yes. Not terribly strong telepaths, but they are." The Doctor stood up and looked around. "Aurvandil holds some position here at court?"

"He serves as head of the Mage Council," Fárbauti answered. "He works closely with Fengr, so I can easily imagine that Fengr met with him to report that two powerful wizards were visiting the court."

"And it makes sense that he would either tell Aurvandil about their training, or that the information would be taken from his thoughts," River said. "He would have reported back to the others."

"But we have an advantage, don't we?" Sherlock said.

"Do we?" Loki asked.

"We have telepaths, too." Sherlock smiled slightly.

The Doctor looked at Sherlock, and his eyes widened. "You've been trained since I saw you last!"

Sherlock sniffed and waved one hand. "I've only a touch. Not nearly as much as some. But... enough."

"Are you sure, love?" John asked.

"If we're to survive this, then there's not much choice. Besides, if Aurvandil is seeing my amateur attempts, then he's not going to be noticing when Violet takes the information from his mind."

"Daddy!" Livvy gasped. "No! I am not letting my daughter take an active role in this!"

"Absolutely not!" Martin said at the same time.

Loki shook his head. "I agree. It isn't safe."

"None of this is safe!" Sherlock snapped. "Not a single person in this room is safe. Not while these aliens have the Tesseract. We have to find out where they are, so that we can take the battle to them."

"I hate to say it, but he's right," Tony said. "I could do reconnaissance, but I'm not exactly subtle, and I don't know the territory. We need to know where they are, and we need to know it fast. We're running out of time." He smiled and nodded at Fárbauti. "This lovely lady doesn't have a hell of a lot of time left."

"Thank you," Loki said quietly. Tony nodded.

"Look, we don't any of us want to put Violet in danger," John said, looking at Livvy. "Or you, or Fárbauti. But we don't have any options, really, and not a hell of a lot of weapons we can use against them."

"Olivia, if it helps ease your mind, I'll go with them," Thor offered.

"I'll be going, too," the Doctor added. "I won't let anyone hurt Violet."

Livvy looked up at Martin, then shook her head and buried her face in his shoulder. Martin put his arms around her and held her tightly, looking up at the Doctor.

"You promise?" he asked, feeling as if something were cracking inside of him. "You promise that she'll be safe?"

"I'll bring her back, Martin," the Doctor said gently. "I promise."

Martin nodded, looked around to see Violet sitting on the bed behind him, her eyes wide.

"Poppet? Did you understand any of that?"

"Granda wants me to look inside someones head. And you and Mama and Uncle Luke don't want me to, because I might get hurt," Violet answered. "Papa, I can look from here. I can piggyback on Granda and look where he looks, and I can look from here."

Martin blinked, startled. "You... you can do that?"

"Of course she can," the Doctor said, grinning. "She's your daughter and she's amazing. Do you know what we're looking for, Violet?"

"The shiny thing in Uncle Luke's mind?"

"What?" Loki turned around to face her. "What shiny thing in my mind?"

"It's hiding, all the way in the back," Violet answered. "The sad man with the eyepatch had it."

Frigga gasped. "Odin? You see Odin, in Loki's mind?"

Violet nodded. "Is that his name? He's very sad." She smiled. "He reminds me of Grampy John." She looked distant for a moment, then giggled. "I can find the shiny thing. Where do I look?"

#

They split up. Martin went with the twins, Sherlock, Tony, the Doctor and Thor to find Aurvandil, while the others stayed with Fárbauti. Angrboða promised Martin that she would look after them, and that she would have food waiting for them all when they returned. John, for some reason, declined to go with them.

They found Aurvandil in the courtyard. By agreement, Byleist approached him first. "Father?" he called. "I have friends who wish to meet you. Midgardian mages."

"Is it so?" Aurvandil answered. He came closer and bowed slightly. "An honor. Fengr mentioned that there were mages in Ganglari's party. I had not thought there were any in the Midgard."

"Not many," Martin answered. "And, since I seem to speak for the Midgard mages in residence, I was hoping we might be able to coordinate our magical offense? I'm told you lead the mages here."

"I do," Aurvandil agreed. "You think that we need an offense? I had thought to hold the mages to a defensive position. To protect the Queen and the court, while the warriors do the actual fighting."

"That won't work," Tony said. "There isn't anything you've got that will get through what the Chitauri can bring."

Martin nodded, seeing Sherlock out of the corner of his eyes. He was standing with the Doctor and the twins, his back turned. His head was lowered, and Martin could just see that his eyes were closed.

"You're sure of this?" Aurvandil asked.

"We fought them in New York--"

"A city in Midgard," Martin interjected.

"Right. We fought them, and it took everything we could throw at them, and then some," Tony finished. "Unless you've got a nuclear warhead laying around, you're not stopping them by brute force."

"What is...?" Aurvandil's voice trailed off, and he turned, clearly looking for something. He stopped when he saw Sherlock, and he laughed.

"Clumsy, stupid humans," he murmured. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?

"As a matter of fact, we were counting on it," Sherlock answered. He turned and smiled, holding up John's mobile to show the picture of the dead Jotun from the ship. "You might was well drop the disguise. We all know. The Queen knows."

Aurvandil stepped back. His figure blurred, morphed, and Martin caught a glimpse of the Chitauri hiding within before he vanished in a bright, blue flash.

"Oh, shit!" Tony swore. "They're on to us."

"No, they're not. He thinks you tried to probe him, and failed." the Doctor said. "Sherlock, you were right. He never noticed Violet."

"It worked?" Martin asked.

"Of course it did!" the Doctor answered with a laugh. "Violet was in and out before you even started talking to him." He looked around, at the windows that showed a darkening sky. "We need to get moving. We have a lot to do before we can rest. And we're going to be very busy tomorrow." He turned and started back towards the Queen's suite, moving quickly, and still talking; Martin had to hurry to catch up. "We'll need a full War Council. Fengr will need to be told. Can't be helped, but if he leads the warriors, then he has to lead the warriors. Thor, I'll want you to work with him. Keep an eye on him. Tony, you, too. You'll be useful in the fighting. We want to keep the battlefield as far as possible from the palace, though. Since this will be quite possibly the safest place for Olivia and Violet to be, especially since... well..."

"Especially since what?" Martin asked. He stopped, and Sherlock almost ran him down. "Oh... you're not saying..." He started moving again, chasing the Doctor down the hall. "Grandfather, now?"

"Soon. It will be soon. So we'll need to have her here. Where she'll be safe. I'll ask River to stay with her. And Frigga will stay, too, I think. Martin, you and Willow and Loki will be with me. "

"What about me?" Sherlock asked. The Doctor stopped and turned on his heel, looked at Sherlock.

"You're with me, too," he said at length. "You and John and Jim. You're with me."

"Why?" Martin asked. "I can understand John. He's a soldier. But why Sherlock? And Jim is still recovering. Shouldn't they stay here?"

"To quote River, spoilers," the Doctor said. He flashed a quick, tight smile. "Come on. I want to hear what Violet found."

#

When they reached the Queen's suite, Angrboða met them at the door. To Martin's surprise, Fengr was already there.

"The Queen sent for him," she said. "She thought it was best."

The Doctor nodded. He swept into the bedroom, and Martin followed, feeling very much out of his depths. "Ah, Fengr!" the Doctor called. "Good. Good. What do you know?"

"Nothing, Ganglari. My Queen sent for me, and I came. But no one has told me anything yet."

The Doctor gestured towards Sherlock. "Show him the pictures."

Sherlock stepped forward and handed the mobile to Fengr. He stared at the picture for a moment, then looked up. "What is this?"

"That is a photograph," John answered. "I took it, when we went after the Asgardian prisoners on the Chitauri ship. I found the body."

"But that is..." Fengr looked up, his eyes wide. "But I only just saw him!"

"The one you saw was Chitauri. They can change shape," Tony said. "We confronted him, and he... well, vanished."

"He vanished?"

"Used the power of the Tesseract to get away before we could find out anything," the Doctor said. "Or so he thought. Violet, my dear, what did you see?"

"That they told Jimmy fibs," Violet answered. "They knew he was telling them fibs, so they told him fibs, too. There's no snow where they are."

"So their base isn't in Jotunheim?" Jimmy asked. "Then all that was for nothing?"

"I don't think saving my other mother, Olivia, Violet and all the Asgardians was for nothing," Loki said. Frigga smiled at him, then reached over and patted Jim on the shoulder.

"You did what you thought you had to do, Jim," she said. "And we are all grateful for it."

"Thanks. I just... I used to be better than that!"

"Not against a telepath, you weren't," John muttered. "So where are they, Vee?"

She laughed. "Where we _were_!"

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Thor coughed. "They're in _Asgard_? How could they hide themselves from Heimdel?" He stopped, closed his eyes and rubbed his face with one hand. "That isn't Heimdel, is it?"

"Probably not," River said. "You can't blame yourself, Thor."

"He told us where to find Loki," Thor said. "That... I should have realized! After months of looking, to finally find him! They've been using us! This whole time, they've been using us!"

"Of course they have," the Doctor said. "From the very start. Heimdel... well, if he's not dead, he's somewhere in their base. Have one of their own take his place during the initial attack, and no one the wiser."

"But, now what?" Martin sighed and sat down next to Livvy. She put a cup into his hand.

"Not yet, Sir Darling. Just eat something."

"Now, we need to go back to Asgard."

"We need to take an army to Asgard," Fengr said. "How can we do that? It took the entire Mage Council to send three people. How can we send an army?"

"Their army is coming here," Violet said. Fengr turned and stared at her.

"Who is this child? And how does she know this?"

"The child is a seer, Fengr," Angrboða said.

"She is?" Fengr looked at Violet, then back to Angrboða. "Would her parents sell her, do you think?"

"What?" Martin gasped, surging to his feet. "That's _my_ daughter!"

Fengr backed up a step and bowed slightly. "I meant no offense, Lord Mage. Among us... a seer is a priceless treasure. And as a girl-child, I thought that perhaps.... but your ways are not as our ways. Forgive me."

"She's also already spoken for, Fengr," Loki said, his voice a low growl. "Lord Martin, Lady Olivia and the seer Violet are part of my household. Or had you forgotten?"

"Your Highness, I had. Again, I ask forgiveness." Loki looked at Martin and arched an eyebrow.

"Only because we can't afford to be fighting each other right now," Martin said. "But once this is done, if you so much as look at her the wrong way, I'll take your damned head off."

Fengr smiled. "You are nothing like us, Lord Mage, and yet... so very similar. I admire that." He turned back to Violet. "Child, can you tell me where they will attack?"

"He was thinking about trees. And they were going to come down a hill," Violet answered.

"That hill where you left your craft, when you first arrived?" Fengr looked at the Doctor.

"From the angles, it appears so."

"Then I know what we must do. Prince Thor, will you join in our battle plans?"

"I'd be honored. And I put at your disposal the warriors of Asgard."

"Thank you, Highness." Fengr looked around again. "And you, Lord Mage? Will you lead our mages?"

"Ah... I think the Doctor has other ideas for me. Angrboða?"

Angrboða looked stunned. "Me? Lead the mages?"

Loki looked pleased. "Martin, that's just right. Yes, Angrboða. You lead the mages. You've got the talent."

"But--"

Martin found himself grinning. "You can do it. And you'll have Byleist and Helblindi to back you up."

"But--"

Loki walked over to her and looked at her. "You can."

She licked her lip and bowed her head. "Yes, my prince."

"Angrboða, you call me by my name," Loki said firmly. "You're my friend. I won't have titles from you."

She peered up at him. "Just your friend?"

"For now. Let's save the world before we discuss anything else."

"And you?" Fengr asked. "Lord Mage, where will you be?"

The Doctor answered. "Asgard. We're going after the Tesseract."


	29. Chapter 29

 Martin sat back down, picked up his cup and drank. Then he looked up. "There's one thing -- no, two things. Two things I don't understand."

"Only two?" Willow asked drily. Martin grinned.

"Yes. The first one. They know the future. The Chitauri know whatever it is that we're supposed to do. Yes?" He looked around, saw people nodding. "And they haven't killed us yet. They could have. They've tried, at least with me. But... they had Loki. They let him escape. Their attempts on me have been... well, close, but nowhere near as... competent as they should have been. I should have been dead ages ago. And there have been no attempts on Willow. None. So... why are they letting us live, if we can stop them?" Martin leaned back, sipped again. He frowned. "Unless..."

"Oh..." Sherlock murmured. Martin looked up at him, then the connections all came together, and his cup fell from his nerveless fingers.

"Go ahead, Martin." Sherlock's face was ashen.

"I... I wish you wouldn't," Martin whispered. "You... you got it first. You say it."

"Martin, what is it?" Livvy asked. She looked at him, and her face went white. "Oh. Oh, no."

Tony snorted. "Will someone please let the rest of us in on the horror?"

"The only one they've been trying to kill is Martin. Why?" Sherlock asked. "We all assumed that it was because of something he was going to do. And we were all still thinking it was something that he still had yet to do. We were all wrong. It's something that he's already done."

"They've been playing us. For years, they've been playing us, herding us along. All for this. All for this moment. And now... they know. We let them know. They're coming. Fengr, that attack is going to be soon." Martin looked at Livvy. "They know you're safe now. And they know you're here."

"Oh, my God," Jim breathed. "Oh, fuck me. They want the _boys?_ "

"Why?" Thor asked. "Why would they want human babies?"

"Because of what they'll grow up to be," Loki answered. "Look at Violet--"

"They probably want her, too," Fengr murmured.

Loki kept talking, "She's already a telepath. She's got incredible power. The boys... they'll be as strong."

"Stronger." The Doctor turned and looked at Livvy for a moment, then spun. "River. Take Olivia and Violet back to the TARDIS. Frigga, you go with them. They'll want you soon. You lock that door and do not open it to anyone or anything. Understand?"

"Yes, of course," River answered. "But--"

"If necessary, you take them back to Earth."

"Doctor, I'm not leaving you behind!"

The Doctor smiled. "I'll catch up with you. Now, go on."

"Martin," Livvy said. "Come with us. Please?"

"I can't, love," Martin said. "I can't. I have to stop them, and I still have a job to do."

"Question!" Tony called out. "If we're putting Liv into the TARDIS for safe-keeping, how are you getting to Asgard?"

"Good point. They'll have to come with us," the Doctor answered. "As long as they stay inside, they'll be safe. The TARDIS won't let anyone inside."

"Not even someone who can teleport with Artron energy?" River asked. "Doctor, would the Chitauri be able to get into the TARDIS by teleporting?"

The Doctor's eyes opened wide. "Right... new plan." He looked around. "Who's got an idea for a new plan?"

"Wait, you're saying that you can't protect Livvy?" John asked. "What the hell do we do now?"

"You leave her here, with me," Fárbauti said. "And the mages will seal the Palace. Nothing will be able to pass through the shields."

"Ma'am, are you sure?" Martin asked. "You're sure that they won't be able to get in?"

"Yes."

Martin nodded, looking down at the ground. Five. Five children. They'd get through this."All right," he said. "So... Fengr, take Thor and Tony. Go raise your men. Angrboða, get the mages ready. Doctor, when do we leave?"

The Doctor shook his head. "You need to rest. All of you, you all need to rest. There's going to be a lot of magic and weapons flying around, and you all need to be sharp. Violet, what time of day was it?"

"When they came down the hill? The sky was light."

"Then we can expect a few hours grace," the Doctor said. "It's dark now. You all need to rest."

"You expect us to sleep? Now?"

"Yes, I do, Mister Stark." The Doctor looked around again. "All of you."

"If I may be excused?" Fengr said, bowing to Fárbauti. "I should gather my men and get them prepared."

"You may be excused, Fengr. Angrboða, will you show our guests hospitality?"

Angrboða nodded. "I'll have rooms prepared," she said. "Byleist, would you help me?"

"Of course."

"Wait!" Willow said. "What was the other thing? Martin, you said there were two things you didn't understand. What was the other thing?"

"It's not important," Martin said. He put his arm around Livvy's shoulders. "Poppet, come on. Let's go to bed."

"No, I'd like to hear this," John said. "What was it, Martin? If you hadn't asked about the first thing, we'd be caught with our pants down. What's the second?"

Martin shrugged. "Just... Ma'am, you named Loki when he was born, right?" Loki looked startled at the question, but said nothing.

"Yes," Fárbauti said.

"And you named him Loki?"

She looked at him quizzically. "I did."

Martin nodded and looked at Frigga. "How did you know?"

Frigga's face went slack. Then she started laughing. "This is what you think about when you're in danger?"

"I said it wasn't important."

"It's a good question, Mother," Thor said. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. When Odin brought Loki home from that last battle, he gave this tiny baby to me and said, "I've brought you a gift. His name is Loki.""

"There's more to the story, though," Loki said. "Isn't there?"

"There is," Frigga answered. She sighed. "Do you want to hear this now? Or can it wait until this is done?"

"Now," Loki and Thor both said. Frigga took a long breath.

"I bore two sons to Odin. Neither of you knew them. They were twins, and their names were Balder and Hod. They were grown before you were born. And... they both died in the Jotun wars, before you were born." Frigga turned away slightly. "It... Odin believed it an accident. Hod should never have gone to war. He was... hopeless when it came to battle. He had no skill with weapons. But he would not leave his brother's side. They went to battle together, with their father. They were separated in the crush. When Odin found them, Hod was weeping over Balder's body. He..." she stopped, then softly said, "Hod said he heard someone coming up in the trees. He thought it was a Jotun, and he killed his own brother."

"Friendly fire," John murmured.

Frigga was silent for a moment. "I lost both my sons that day. Hod confessed to Odin, and ran off. We found his body at the bottom of the cliffs. And... not long after, Odin came to me and put a baby into my arms."

Loki wrapped his arms around himself."So... I was a replacement."

Frigga went to stand in front of Loki and rested her hand on his chest. "No, my son. You were a gift." She smiled slightly. "You were always a gift to me, my son. Although I could sometimes wish you were still small enough to take a switch to!"

"You said you bore Odin two sons," Sherlock said. "So you are not Thor's mother. Who is?"

"Sherlock!" John hissed.

"What?" Thor turned, staring.

"You didn't know?" Loki asked, his voice spiraling up. "Did Odin tell us _nothing_?"

"Be still! All of you!" Frigga snapped. She turned. "Her name was Jarð. She was Odin's concubine for many years, a prize of war. He brought her into our home when it became clear I was not going to bear him any more children. She became my friend, close enough to be my sister. My worst rival at times. And she died in your birthing, Thor. Odin mourned her death greatly, and he asked if I would raise her son as my own."

"Jarð is a Jotun name," Helblindi said softly. Loki's eyes widened, and he looked from Helblindi to Thor, then to Frigga.

"And... is it so, Mother?" he asked.

"It is," Frigga said. Loki's head dropped, and when he looked up again, he was laughing.

"You find this amusing?" Thor snapped.

Loki just shook his head. "If I did not laugh, I would weep, brother," he said. "Look at us. No matter what Odin did, no matter which of us he chose, there would be a Jotun on the throne of Asgard. All of this..." he swung one arm wide. "All of it could have been avoided if he'd simply told us the truth!"

"I am--"

"The son of a Jotun woman," Loki interrupted. "And Jotuns trace lineage through the mother line. Here, you are Thor, Jarð's son." He turned toward Fárbauti. "Who was she, Mother? I can't imagine Odin taking as a concubine anyone who wasn't of noble blood."

It was Angrboða who answered, her voice low, "Jarð was the youngest daughter of Queen Nótt, by her mate Ónar. Nótt was the mother of Queen Fárbauti."

Thor gaped at her. "Your sister?"

"So... your mother is my aunt," Loki said.

"Mine as well," Angrboða added. "I've heard about her. My mother told me that her youngest sister disappeared during the war, and that they thought her dead."

"We're related?" Loki asked. He rubbed his forehead and sighed."This... this is too much to absorb. I'd like a room, and a bed."

"And a drink," Thor muttered.

"And a drink," Loki agreed.

"The heir's suite has been waiting for you, my Prince," Angrboða said. "It's down the corridor. If you ring for a servant, they'll bring whatever you wish." She looked at Martin. "And... there's the consort's suite, adjoining. But I didn't want to presume."

Loki looked at her, saw where she was looking. "Martin?"

"You're damned right I'm presuming," Martin growled. "And you're not the only ones who want a drink."

Loki nodded and turned, holding out his hand. "Angrboða, come join us."

"My... Loki?" she stammered. "You want me to join you?"

"Come along, Angrboða," Martin said. He tightened his arm around Livvy's shoulders and looked around to see Violet, curled up on Fárbauti's bed, fast asleep. "Oh."

"She fell asleep a few minutes ago, poor thing," Fárbauti said. She reached out and stroked Violet's red curls. "Do you want to leave her with me while you talk?"

"Would you mind?" Livvy asked.

"Of course not. Byleist, you and Helblindi go and get some rest. You'll be needed tomorrow. But... Frigga, would you stay? I want to hear all about our son."

Loki groaned, and Thor laughed. "Be sure to tell her about the time he got lost in the gardens," he said.

"I did that?" Loki asked. "That's something else I don't remember. Maybe I should stay."

"Oh, no. You're coming with us. How big were these gardens?" Martin asked, linking his other arm into Loki's.

"About the same as yours," Thor answered, following behind as Angrboða led the way. "But the plantings are taller. Were taller. And Loki was small for his age."

"The heir's suite is here," Angrboða said. "And the room across the way is for you, Prince Thor." She looked around at the others. "All of these rooms were prepared for your use. I was not certain who went with whom, so... please feel free to arrange yourselves."

"Right. I need some sleep. Martin, wake me up if anything?" Willow asked. She waved and headed into a room. Sherlock, John and Jim vanished into another.

"I'm going back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "River?"

"I'm coming with you."

"Right. I'll come fetch you all in... Angrboða, how long until dawn?"

Angrboða frowned. "I assume you want it in Midgard time? About nine hours."

"Right. Then everyone be awake and ready in seven."

"How did you know that?" Tony asked. "Midgard time, I mean."

"You did it before, too," Martin said. "When you told me how old the twins are."

"I studied it," Angrboða answered. "I was curious. When I heard that the Prince of Asgard had taken a Midgardian consort--"

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Thor muttered.

Angrboða smiled. "I was curious. We have legends about Midgard, but they're thousands of years old. What we really know is... very little."

"Well, when this is all over, you can come visit," Tony said. "We'll just have to... well, when Loki figures out how he changes from a Gamilon to a human, he can teach you."

"Gamilon?" Angrboða repeated. "What is that?"

"An alien from an old television programme. I watched it as a boy." Martin snickered. "Gamilon? Really, Tony, how did I not know you watched _Space Cruiser_?"

"In the US, they called it _Star Blazers_. And didn't everyone?"

"I didn't," Livvy said. "And I'm tired. Can we go in?"

"I'm sorry, love," Martin said. He opened the door and led her inside. "Do you want to talk, or lay down?"

"Would you mind if I went to sleep, darling? I'm tired. And there is another bed."

Martin leaned down and kissed Livvy, then hugged her tightly. "I don't mind. Go rest. If the Doctor is right, you'll be needing your strength soon."

"Do I get one?" Loki asked. He came over and took Livvy from Martin, holding her tightly for a moment, then kissing her. "Thank you."

"For?" Livvy asked.

"Being a constant." Loki sighed. "Everything is changing. I don't... I don't even know where to look anymore! This morning when I woke up, things were... simple. I had you both, and I was happy with that. And since then... I've been on two other planets, I've almost died, I've met both my mothers, my brother is really my cousin, and I've become heir to the throne of a place I know nothing about!" He sounded so exasperated that Martin came up and put his arms around both of them.

"You're doing fine, Luke," he murmured. "And you're not facing it alone."

"Thank you both," Loki murmured. He stepped back and sighed. "That drink would not go amiss."

Martin walked Livvy into the other room. "You're sure you don't mind?" he asked.

"That you're going to spend the night with him? Darling, all I am is jealous. I wish I could." Livvy smiled up at him. "Be sweet to him, Sir Darling. He's stretched so thin he might shatter at a harsh word."

"I do love you, Lady Crieff."

"I love you, too. And I love him. Tell him so, will you?"

"Of course."

#

Martin came back out to find Tony, Thor, Loki and Angrboða sitting around a table. He pulled up a chair and sat down with them. No one said anything for several minutes.

"Do we have a plan?" Tony asked. "Or are we winging it?"

"You and I will be with the warriors," Thor answered. "Angrboða will lead the mages, and Martin will be doing something with Ganglari."

"And I'll be with Martin." Loki added.

"Right. So we're winging it." Tony took a drink from his cup, then looked at it. "What am I drinking?"

"Mead."

"Nice. Not much of a kick to it, though."

"It'll kick you in the morning, if you're not careful," Loki said. He looked down at his cup, then at Thor. "Am I remembering, or imagining? The first time you had mead?"

Thor groaned. "You would remember that!"

"How bad was the hangover?" Martin asked.

"I think..." Thor pointed at Loki. "Did I ask you to cut my head off?"

Loki laughed. "You did! And then realized that if I did cut your head off, it would still hurt. It would just hurt from all the way across the room."

"Yes, I remember now. " Thor nodded. "You put me to sleep."

"You slept the day around, and when you woke up, you were done with the hangover."

"And done with drinking that much mead at a sitting," Thor said. "Father didn't tell me that the horn wouldn't empty, no matter how much I drank."

"You know, from everything you two are saying, your dad was a bit of a prick," Tony said. He coughed, blinked, and looked at his cup again. "Right. Done with that. Don't kill me, okay? You'll need me later."

Thor smiled ruefully. "There is truth at the bottom of a cup of mead. I love my father. And yet..." He shrugged, and Martin nodded.

"I know what you mean. I think out of the lot of us, the only one who has a good relationship with her father is Liv."

"That's not hard," Tony said. "She has four. Law of averages is in her favor. And you do all right, Flyboy."

"I remember how it was for me, growing up. And I do my best to not be like him." Martin shook his head. "Enough of the maudlin. And enough of the mead. Angrboða, what are you thinking?" he asked, looking at the woman sitting across from him. She had an oddly troubled look on her face.

"That I'm not sure what I'm thinking," she answered. "Today has been... unsettling, in many ways. I think perhaps I should go to bed. Tomorrow I go into battle."

"For the first time?" Loki asked. Angrboða nodded. "And... you're frightened."

"Yes," Angrboða whispered. She looked down at her cup. "I've never used my magic against anyone else before. I know the spells, but I've never used them. To think that tomorrow, I might kill someone... I know I should go to bed, but I doubt I will sleep."

Martin glanced at Loki, who met his eyes, then arched an eyebrow. Martin nodded, and saw Tony's eyebrows rise.

"We... should get some sleep, too. Come on, Thor," he said, standing up. "Good night. Oh, and... Loki?"

Loki looked up. "Yes?"

"In case I don't get a chance to say this, I'm sorry. About what happened back at the house. And thank you." Tony held one hand out. "Good luck tomorrow."

"And to you," Loki said, standing and taking Tony's hand. "And there's no need to apologize again. You did already. It's done."

"Thanks. Look, I need some sleep. Thor?"

"I'll show you to your room," Angrboða said, standing up quickly. All of her movements were too quick, gestures that had been graceful before were now jerky. He started to rise, but Loki reached her first.

"You don't have to leave, Angrboða," he said gently. He reached out and took her hand. "You can stay."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. She looked quickly at Martin.

"I'll go," Martin said. "It's all right."

Angrboða swallowed and looked back at Loki. "I... my lord--"

"Loki," he corrected her. "You will always call me by my name."

"Loki," she repeated. "I..."

Loki smiled, turned her hand over, and kissed her palm. "When you are ready," he said as he let her go. "Good night."

She closed her hand tightly, back up a step, then smiled. "Good night, Loki." She left the room with her head held high, and her closed fist pressed close to her chest.

"Okay, that was hot," Tony murmured. "That... wow. That was nice."

"She wanted to stay. Why didn't she?" Thor asked.

Loki glanced at Martin. "I think I understand. She's a virgin?"

"A royal virgin," Martin agreed. "She's probably been taught her entire life that she's being saved for marriage."

"She wants you, though," Tony added.

"Me? Or the crown?" Loki asked. He sat down and took off his crown, looking at it. "I like her. She seems... very genuine. If I am to marry, I think I could be happy with her."

"There's a but there, and even I can hear it," Thor said.

"There is. If I don't get my memory back, and my magic, how can I be king?" Loki looked at them. "How can I serve these people if I'm not whole?"

There was a knock on the door, and Byleist and Helblindi came inside. "Brother, we were talking," Byleist said. "And we have a question."

"Ask away," Loki said.

Byleist started, "You all said that the Chitauri have been manipulating us, this entire time..."

"They've known every time what moves you were going to make..."

"And when...."

"So how can we trust that the information the young seer saw..."

"Wasn't them trying to put us off our guard..."

"Again?"


	30. Chapter 30

 Loki's jaw dropped, and he got to his feet. "Martin?"

"They're right," Martin breathed. He got up and walked away, closing his eyes as he tried to think.

"We need to get Fengr," Thor said. "We should prepare--"

"No!" Martin snapped. "No. No... because that's what they want. They want us to react. That's all we've been doing -- reacting! Every single thing we've done, every move we've made, it's all been the first logical reaction to whatever it is that they've done. And they know it! They know what we're going to do, because to them, we've already done it!"

"Shit," Tony murmured. "So... we're fucked? There's nothing we can do, because we're predestined? Martin, I can't believe that."

"Don't. Keep on not believing it, because then we might have a chance." Martin moved over to sit on the bed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "They want us to react, to move the warriors out. Then..."

"They attack the palace," Loki said. "The mages aren't ready, and the guards will be at the gates, not inside. There will be no one to stop them."

Martin got up slowly. "Thor, go to the Queen's suite. Byleist, Helblindi, go fetch Angrboða. She just went to bed. And Willow. We need Willow. All of you, be ready. Tony, you'll need your armor."

"Left it in the TARDIS."

"Good. Warn the Doctor while you're down there. Tell him we're still being played. We need..." he closed his eyes again. "We need to do the unexpected. Loki?" He looked up to see Loki standing in front of him, his crown still hanging from one hand.

"What?"

"This is your strength. You're the Trickster. What next?"

Loki frowned slightly, rubbing his thumb over the textured metal of the crown. He looked down at it, then shook his head. "I..." he started, then snorted. "I don't know."

"First thing that comes to mind!" Martin snapped.

"Surrender," Loki answered immediately.

"What?" Tony gasped. Martin waved him quiet.

"Then?" he prompted.

"I surrender," Loki said. "But you won't be here. Olivia and Violet, and Mother and... and Mother, and my brothers, they'll be on the TARDIS. And you'll be going to Asgard. You and Willow, you're the ones that they're afraid of. Angrboða can get you there. If she can open a portal between Asgard and Midgard, she can do it from Jotunheim. You'll be stopping them by getting the Tesseract."

Martin stared at him for a moment, then turned to Tony. "Go fetch the Doctor. I want him to hear this."

#

By the time Tony returned with the Doctor, Loki and Martin had been joined by Willow and Angrboða. Loki repeated his plans, and the Doctor shook his head.

"No," he said. "No, I don't like it."

"What choice do we have?" Martin asked. "I mean... if you take everyone on the TARDIS, and you go... wherever you go when you're on your way somewhere, won't they be safe? Can the Chitauri find you if you're not in a fixed point of time?"

The Doctor stared at him for a moment, then scowled. "I don't like it, Martin. But you have a point. We have no choice. Just... try not to get killed."

Martin nodded. "I'll do my best. Angrboða, can you get us back to Asgard?"

Angrboða nodded. "I can. If you and Lady Willow help me. It's a powerful spell."

"So, we cast the spell. Willow and I go on through. You get everyone else onto the TARDIS and get out. Then... they attack and Loki surrenders." Martin looked over at Loki. "You try not to die, too."

Loki smiled. "That is at the top of my list of things I'm not doing today."

"Good. Anyone see any holes in this?"

"Only one," Willow said. "It's just... well, time travel is all weird. How do we know that we haven't done this before? I mean, if we've done this before, then they know we're coming. And if we haven't done this before, then we're changing the future. So why is this all happening at all, since we're changing what they know already happened?" Willow bit her lip. "Did that make any sense?"

"You're thinking of time as linear. It isn't," the Doctor said. "It's far more fluid. You humans, you can only see it as a straight line. You can't see the complexity. Trust me when I say that there is far more than just a single time stream. There are infinite potentialities for any action."

"Can you see where they go?" Willow asked. "I mean, can you tell what happens if you step on the butterfly?" Willow looked thoughtful, then turned to Martin. "Is that why you and Sherlock and Liv see things differently?"

Martin's jaw dropped. "I... I never thought about it."

"Nor should you," the Doctor said firmly. "Don't even try. You are not capable of seeing the universe the way that Time Lords see it. It will drive you mad. So.... if this is the plan, then we need to get moving. I want everyone who will be with me in the TARDIS there immediately."

"I'll get Liv," Martin said. He turned and went to the door, opened it to find Livvy standing on the other side. "You heard?"

"I heard," she said. "Martin, please be careful."

Martin pulled her into his arms, held her tightly. "You're the important one, Liv. You and the children. I have to keep you safe."

"I wish you would come with us," she whispered into his chest. "I heard.... five isn't a guarantee, is it? Not if everything we do makes changes in the time stream."

Martin closed his eyes. She was right, and he'd been living in a dream world. "I know. But I can't risk what I have. Grandfather will keep you safe. And... I'll find a way to stop this."

"I know." Livvy tipped her head back and looked up at him, her eyes filling. "I love you, Sir Darling."

"Here now, no crying. None of that," Martin said gently, hearing his own voice crack. He wiped her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her. "I need you to be strong, love. For Vee and for the boys. And I love you, Lady Crieff. So very much."

He pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly, breathing in her scent and trying to imprint that into his memory so that he would have it forever. Then he heard it, distantly. The sounds of explosions.

"Martin, we have to go," the Doctor said gently. "Willow's gone to fetch the others."

Martin nodded. He took Livvy's hand and turned back towards the room.

"Let's go."

#

In the courtyard, two arguments started at once. Both of them involved Loki.

"You are all going!" he insisted, and flinched as another explosions sounded, closer than the ones before.

"You need us here!" Thor insisted right back. On either side of him, the twins were standing silent and stubborn.

"No. You have to go!" Loki pointed at Thor. "You're the King of Asgard. You and the Avengers are the only hope for the universe if this fails." He shifted his gaze to the twins. "If I fall today, then you two are jointly King of Jotunheim. And you have to take care of our mother."

"He's right," Tony said, coming up to stand next to Thor. "Look, the rest of the Avengers won't follow him. They won't even believe him. But they will follow you and me."

Thor looked torn, until Loki stepped in close and put his hand on Thor's chest. "Please, Brother? If I fall, I'll need you to avenge me."

Even at a distance, Martin could see that had done it -- Thor nodded, reached out and wrapped one hand around the back of Loki's neck. "I'm proud of you, Brother. Good luck."

Loki smiled slightly and stepped back, only to be hit from both sides by the twins.

"Don't die...:

"We're not ready to be King..."

"And it's yours..."

"And we only just got you..."

"And we barely know you..."

"So _don't die_!"

Loki hugged the both of them, then nodded. "You go. Take care of Mother. Tell her... tell her I'm sorry we didn't have more time."

The twins nodded, and both of them hurried around the TARDIS to the doors. Thor followed them, leaving Tony behind.

"Look, I'm not one for long goodbyes," he said, looking around. "Just... take care of yourself, all right?"

"I'll do my best," Loki answered solemnly.

"And... you're doing a good job. Keep it up." Tony turned and walked away, leaving Loki with a confused expression. He looked at Martin, who shook his head.

"A good job at what?" Loki called. Tony stopped and looked back.

"At proving me wrong," he called back. "See you later." He disappeared, and Loki took a deep breath and looked around. Angrboða looked nervous, but determined.

"Ready?" Martin asked her.

"No. Are you?"

Martin nodded. Distantly, he could hear barking -- Caval objecting loudly to being locked in the TARDIS. Willow came up next to him and took his arm.

"I'm aiming the portal for the largest concentration of power in Asgard. That should be the Tesseract," Angrboða said. "Once the portal is open, you'll have about two minutes to get in, get the Tesseract, and get back through. I can't hold it open longer by myself. And once it's closed, I won't be able to reopen it."

"If it closes, we'll manage. You just get onto the TARDIS and go."

Angrboða shook her head. "I'm not going. I'm standing with my King. I've already told Ganglari."

"Angrboða!" Loki turned, his eyes wide. "No! You... you have to go!"

"I'm staying." She reached out and took his hand. "I wish I'd been brave enough to stay when you asked me before." She looked over her shoulder as the TARDIS started to make a grinding sound. It flickered, and faded away, revealing two people standing beyond it.

"What are you doing here?" Martin demanded. "Grandfather--"

"I'm going with you," the Doctor interrupted. "You can't handle the Cosmic Cube. It would kill you to try. But I can."

"And you?" Loki asked. "Or is this how I start my reign? With the people I care for most disobeying my orders?"

Byleist drew himself up. "Helblindi and I discussed it. And we decided that one of us should be at your side, to support our brother and king. I am older, and I am the stronger mage, so it is my right. Helblindi will be our mother's comfort and shield." He smiled, but he looked uncomfortable. It was only when he looked to his left that Martin realized why.

"You've never been alone before," he said.

Byleist nodded. "No. It's strange, being alone in my head, not having him here."

"Be careful with that side," Martin warned. "Right, let's get that portal open."

Angrboða tried to explain the spell, and Martin watched as Willow's eyes grew wider and wider.

"Ahhh... maybe we should just feed you?" she suggested. "I don't think there's time to teach us how to do this ourselves."

"I think you may be right," Angrboða said. "All right. We need a door." She pointed to the double doors that they had come through before. "There. That will do."

Martin, Willow and Byleist ranged themselves around Angrboða, following her directions, trying not to jump as the sounds of fighting grew closer. It was startlingly similiar to working with Willow, Martin decided, feeling the steady tug as Angrboða drew on his magic, braiding it together with her own, Willow's and Byleist's, using a technique that Martin didn't quite catch. The air within the doorframe shimmered, darkened, then lightened again, showing a room on the other side.

"That's done it," Angrboða called. "Go on!"

Martin went first, pulling up his armor as he walked, feeling the comforting weight of his sword in his hand as he reached the door. He passed through, and felt his ears pop the way they did when he flew. It was odd, and he shook his head as he walked out into a large, empty room.

"No one here!" he said over his shoulder. "And... nothing. I thought you said the Tesseract would be here?"

"I'm coming through!" the Doctor called. He started toward Martin, then stopped. "Martin, come back!"

"What?" Martin turned to face the doorway. "Grandfather?"

"Come back! Come back now!" The Doctor stepped forward, then pointed. "It's a trap! Martin!"

Martin spun, seeing bright blue flashes as Chitauri blinked into existence. He backed up, toward the door. And heard another explosion, louder than before. He looked back to see smoke and falling ash before the door vanished. There was nothing behind him but a closed door.

He was alone.

The fighting didn't last long.


	31. Chapter 31

 Martin's right arm was asleep.

It was the least of his problems. But it was easier to focus on that, if only to try and take his mind off the pain he'd been in since he first woke in this dark room, and the annoying tickle down the side of his face that was probably still blood from the last beating. He couldn't do anything about that with his wrists cuffed behind his back. And right now, the only position that was even vaguely comfortable was lying on his right side. Which sent his arm to sleep.

He shifted, rolled onto his knees and rested his forehead on the ground for a moment to catch his breath before shifting again to sit with his back pressed into the corner of the room. How long had it been? He had no idea. The cell was pitch black, and he'd long since lost any track of time. He wasn't even feeling hungry any more.

Were they alive? Had everything gone pear-shaped? Or had the TARDIS gotten through? Were the Avengers coming? Probably not. They were Earth's greatest heroes, after all. Going off-world wasn't what it said on the tin. But they'd be ready, at least, for when the Chitauri reached Midgard.

He would have liked to have held Liv once more. To have seen their sons. He still didn't know why he was alive, but he wasn't expecting to stay that way much longer. Every time the Chitauri entered the cell, it was worse than the last time.

Was that a noise?

Martin stiffened, listening hard. It wouldn't be the first time that the Chitauri had come in under cover of darkness. They always somehow managed to get in without letting in any light. Martin supposed they could see in total darkness, but couldn't figure out how. He braced himself, but there was no hissing, no growled threats or demands. No blows or kicks.

"You were right," a man said. "There is another prisoner."

A different man answered, "I saw when they brought him in."

"Who's there?" Martin asked, keeping his voice low. "Who... who are you?"

"Hush," the first voice said. It was a good voice. Deep. Comforting. "Hush, lad. If you raise a fuss, they'll come see why. I have water--"

"No," Martin whispered. "If I drink, it will only make me feel how hungry I am."

"He's smart," the second voice said.

"And he's right." A moment later, he heard the clink of chain, and something cold and wet touched Martin's face. He flinched, then realized that whoever it was was washing the blood off his face.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Who...?" He stopped. Chains. They were prisoners, too. "One of you is Heimdel?"

"Very smart," the second voice answered. "I am Heimdel."

"And... oh. You... you're Odin, aren't you?"

A low laugh. "You're very good. Yes."

"Your sons are worried about you," Martin said. He tipped his head back against the wall. "And your wife."

"You saw them?" Odin asked.

"I was with them, up until I was caught. How long have I been here? It's hard to keep track in the dark." Martin heard someone -- Heimdel? -- cough. Then he answered.

"Three days."

"Three days?" Martin repeated. "I... I suppose they aren't coming, then. I hoped they might."

"Who? Who would be coming?" Odin asked.

"Thor. Loki sent him away. I thought he might get the Avengers, bring them back."

"And Loki?"

"I don't know. There was an explosion. I saw the explosion, but I didn't see them. Loki, and Angrboða and Willow and my grandfather. Angrboða lost the spell that opened the portal from Jotunheim to Asgard. Or she died. I hope she didn't die. I like her." He swallowed, considered asking for some of the water. Decided against it. "They might be dead. Christ, I hope he's not dead."

"You mean your grandfather?"

"No. I mean Loki. He..." Martin snorted, feeling a little giddy. "What the hell. I'm going to die anyway. I'm in love with your son, Alfader. And I don't care that you might think it's... oh, what was the word...?"

" _Ergi_?" Odin supplied. "You took Loki as a lover?"

"Yes, sir. With the full approval of my wife, who wants him herself. But she's pregnant and due any minute, so she was happy just to watch and _why_ can't I stop talking?" Martin bit his lip to stop any more words from falling out.

"Well. That is... surprising." Odin was quiet for a moment. "And... what else have I missed?"

Martin frowned. "Ah... he met his mother. His real mother. And his brothers. And she recognized him as her heir. I hope she's safe. I hope they're all safe. They should be. The TARDIS--"

"How is Ganglari involved in this?" Odin demanded.

"He's my grandfather... well, eventual grandfather. It's complicated," Martin answered. To his surprise, Odin started laughing.

"I warned you," Heimdel murmured. "I did tell you--"

"You did. You did, but when have I ever listened?" Odin said. "Very well, Martin--"

"How did you know my name?" Martin interrupted.

"You would not believe me if I told you. So I won't. Not yet. We have to go, Martin."

"Go?" Martin sat up straighter. "Go where? How can you go anywhere?"

"Right now, the Chitauri aren't aware we've left our cells. If we stay longer, they'll notice. We'll be back." Martin felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You're a good boy, Martin. Trust your friends. They'll come. Now go to sleep."

Martin thought about arguing, demanding to be taken with them. But the suggestion of sleep won. And when he woke, they were gone.

#

The next time they visited was right after the Chitauri came and questioned Martin again, demanding to know where the seers had gone. He could feel the Chitauri combing through his mind, and offered no resistance. He didn't know where River had taken them, had refused to ask. He almost didn't mind the pain this time, since it came with confirmation that Liv and the children were still safe.

Now, if only they would let him die.

They didn't, leaving him lying in a heap against the wall, shivering, knowing that he was going into shock. He wasn't sure how badly he was hurt this time. Not enough, he thought. Not nearly enough. He'd survive. Again. He took a long breath, feeling pain shooting though his ribs, and started to cry.

Chains jingled, and he felt warm hands on his shoulders. Someone helped him up, then held him until the tears stopped. He sniffed and nodded, and the hands fell away.

"Thank you," Martin said, his voice cracking. "I... I was starting to think I'd hallucinated you."

"If you did, you have an excellent imagination," Odin said. "I brought something to eat, if you think you're able?"

"I shouldn't," Martin said, leaning back against the wall. "I... I'm fine."

"You're not fine. And starving yourself to death isn't the answer," Odin said. "You need to hold on a little longer, my son. They're coming."

For a moment, Martin thought that Odin meant the Chitauri. Then he realized... "They are? They... they're coming?" He frowned, blinking. "Where... where is Heimdel?"

"Doing what he does best."

"Ah. Watching. Is the light any better outside of this hole?" Martin closed his eyes and winced. "You said you had food?"

"It isn't much, and don't ask me what it actually is. But it doesn't taste horrible, and it is filling." Something pressed against Martin's lip -- a spoon? He opened his mouth and took a bite.

It was better than Surprising Rice, but not much. Martin ate all that Odin offered, then drank some of the warm, slightly tinny tasting water.

"How are you able to wander around here?" he asked when he'd finished.

"They think that because they've bound my power, they've bound me," Odin answered. "They underestimate me badly. As they underestimated you, my son."

Martin smiled, suddenly tired. "I hope they come soon," he said, feeling sleep pulling at the edges of his mind. "I want to see my sons."

"As do I," Odin answered. "Go to sleep, Martin. I must go back to my cell."

#

Explosions. Explosion and a familiar roaring. Martin jerked awake, eyes wide, searching the darkness.

"Bruce?" he whispered, almost afraid that it was a trick. That there would be more Chitauri, more pain. Then he heard it again. "Bruce!" he shouted, then tipped his head back and laughed. When he stopped, he could hear something else. Someone calling his name.

"Loki?" he called, struggling to his knees. "Loki? Here!"

He heard the sound of the door crashing open, then Loki's voice rang out: "Martin!"

Martin heard footsteps, running towards him. Then someone grabbed him and kissed him. He recognized Loki's scent, and nearly wept with relief.

"Martin," Loki said his name again. "I was so worried we'd lost you. You... oh, look at you. Olivia is going to murder me."

"She won't," Martin gasped, almost giddy. "She won't. It..." He stopped. "Look... look at me? _Look_ at me?" He whimpered. "It... it isn't dark, is it? Not for you."

Loki's hands were warm on either side of his face. Warm, and shaking. "No, Martin," he said.

"Loki! Did you fin-- oh." Tony's voice trailed off. "Oh, Flyboy...."

"We need to get him out of here. Who's with us that can take him back to the healers?" Loki asked. "Tony, can you get these damned things off of him?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. And... ummm... I'll grab one of the Asgardians."

As soon as his hands were freed, Martin grabbed Loki's wrists. "What did they do?" he demanded. "I... I've been like this since I woke up here, after the fight. I thought they just locked me up in the dark. Loki, _what did they do to me_?"

It was Tony who answered. "Your eyes... Martin, they're all blood. I think they put your eyes out."

"It will be all right," Loki said quickly, touching Martin's cheek once more. "The Asgardian healers will put it right, Martin. They will."

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "Hey, you! Asterix!"

"Asterix was a Gaul, you git," Martin muttered. "Not a Viking."

"What?" Loki asked.

"Doesn't matter. Help me up." Martin clung to Loki as he got to his feet. "Loki. Odin is here. Somewhere. And Heimdel."

"Odin? Are you sure?"

"No, but he said he was Odin."

"Could have been a trick," Tony said, his voice coming closer. "Right. Take Martin back to the healers. Then catch up with us."

Someone took Martin's arm, and he felt Loki's hands fall away. He turned slightly, pulling away from his guide. "Loki! Have you seen Liv?"

"Yes. She told me to find you or not to come back."

"And....?"

"And she said to tell you that she refuses to have the babies without you. Now go to the healers!"

#

The guide wasn't all that gentle, herding Martin through unknown spaces without seeming to care that he couldn't see the rubble under their feet.

"Stop for a moment," Martin gasped after almost tripping. "Stop!"

"What?" the guide demanded.

"I can't see," Martin said softly. "Just... let me know if there are things in front of me. How much further?"

"Oh, you're staying here."

Martin frowned. The voice was suddenly familiar. "What?"

"You're staying here," he repeated. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Oh..." Martin breathed. "Meili, isn't it?"

"Good. You remember me."

"Meili, we don't have time for this," Martin said softly.

"It won't take me long to kill you, _nithing_."

Martin growled, reached out with his magic and grabbed Meili, picking him up off the ground. "I am tired, and I hurt, and we need to save your world and mine. So I repeat. We do not have time for this!"

"Martin!"

Martin pulled his magic back, hearing Meili hit the ground. "Willow?"

"I saw Loki. He said they found you. That you were hurt and you supposed to go back to the healers. But this isn't the way--"

"He was going to kill me." Martin nodded in the direction that he'd heard the thump. "He isn't anymore. Willow, have they found the Tesseract yet?"

"No. No, and the fighting isn't going well... the Slayers are all here, and oh, my God. Martin!"

"I know. I'm a sight, aren't I?" Martin snorted. "Willow, help me."

"Help you what? Back to the healers? I can--"

"No. No, I need... we can find the Tesseract. You and I. I know how it feels. I can find it. And I can stop this."

"But... the Doctor says you can't touch the Tesseract," Willow said softly. "Oh... no, Martin. No. Martin, you... I'm not going to let you kill yourself."

"Will... Will, they clipped my wings." Martin laughed, hearing how close he was to crying. "I... they can't give me my eyes back. I know what magic can do--"

"We don't know Asgardian magic!"

"They can't give me my eyes back!" Martin shouted. "And... I can't. I can't let Liv see me like this. So... let me do this. Because if you don't help me, I'll find it on my own." He could, he realized. He could feel the Tesseract, pulsing warm against the edges of his awareness. "I can feel it. It's calling me."

"Martin, please--"

"No, Willow. This is how I'm going to die. So help me, or get out of my way."


	32. Chapter 32

 When Willow finally spoke, Martin could tell she was crying. "I... I can't! Martin--"

"Fine. Then go help with the fighting," Martin snapped. He started to draw his magic around him, then felt hands on his arm.

"Come on, Martin. Let's finish this."

He jerked. "Buffy? Where did you come from?"

"You don't think I'm letting Willow wander around a warzone alone, do you?" she asked. "I understand. I made the same choice a long time ago. Come on. You tell me where we're going, and I'll steer."

"I'm coming, too," Willow said, her voice shaking. "Martin, your shield spell is better than mine. Can you manage it?"

Martin nodded, drawing his magic around the three of them. He pointed. "That way."

That way led them into the heart of the fighting. Martin could hear the shouting and the gunfire all around them, heard Thor shouting, sounding almost gleeful. He heard John giving orders and wondered where Sherlock and Jim where. There was magic, too, swirling around them. But somehow, Buffy got them through without them being seen or hit or hurt. Until they were so close to the Tesseract that Martin could taste it.

"This is where I get off," he murmured. "We're alone?"

"Yes. What?" Buffy asked. Martin smiled and let the magic fall.

"I'm going on alone. I can find it. You go back. Tell Liv I love her, will you?"

"You're not going anywhere without me."

Martin let his head drop. This was the last thing he'd wanted. "How'd you find me?"

"Your scent, when you went past," Loki answered. "And John came looking for you when you didn't show up. We found Meili--"

"He tried to kill me."

"John said the same thing." Loki's footsteps came closer. "Martin, I don't want you to die."

"I know," Martin answered softly. "But I can't... not like _this_!"

"Loki, can Asgardian magic fix it?" Willow asked.

"I haven't gotten those memories back," Loki answered, sounding apologetic. "Given that Odin's been missing an eye forever, I think not." He snorted, then put his hands on Martin's face again. "I'm coming with you."

"What? No--"

"As far as I can. I'll be with you, and I'll tell Olivia. And I'll take care of her and the children."

Martin nodded, resting his hands loosely on Loki's forearms. "Thank you."

"Let's go. Before the Chitauri notice we're here," Buffy said. This time, Loki took Martin's arm, and they walked together into a room that sung and hummed and laughed like a child.

"Is that... am I hearing the Tesseract?" Martin asked.

"I don't hear anything," Loki answered.

"There's... something," Willow said. "I don't know. Whatever it is, it's happy."

"It is. And it's calling me." He shook off Loki's hand and started forward, only to stop short when someone grabbed him.

"There's a dais," Loki said. "And a platform on it. I'll help you."

Martin let Loki lead him, stepping up and stumbling over the rough edges of the dais, until he stopped. Warmth surrounded him, calling him closer. Calling him by name, drowning out the sense of anything else.

"Loki?" he said, groping around. "Are you still here?"

Loki's hand slipped into his. "I'm here."

"I'm sorry. I wish we could have had longer."

He heard Loki laugh. "I'm sorry, too. If I hadn't fallen in to your life--"

"It isn't your fault," Martin interrupted. "You... you go ahead and marry Angrboða. Make her happy."

"If I thought she'd say yes, I'd marry Olivia and make her my queen."

"Loki!"

"I promised I'd take care of her! Can you think of a better way?"

Martin considered it. "No. If you ask her, tell her I said that I approve."

"Thank you." Loki squeezed his hand, then let go. "I love you, Martin."

Martin smiled. "Love you, too. You're going to make a hell of a king."

"I think I preferred being Luke."

"That's why you're going to be a great king."

"Guys, I think we've been spotted!" Willow's voice was shrill.

"I need to go help Buffy. Go!" Loki was gone, and Martin heard the sounds of fighting.

"I'm coming with you," Willow said quietly.

"If you do, you won't come out," he answered. "Neither of us will."

"I know," she said. Then... "Kennedy died in Belarus. From what they told me, she never knew what hit her."

"Willow!"

"I... I think I'd rather go saving the world. So, let's save the world, hm?" She took his arm, and they walked together into the warmth.

"Tell me what you see?" Martin asked.

"There's a pedestal. And... a cube. That's it, isn't it? Is it... singing?"

"It's calling. It wants... I'm not sure what it wants." Martin stepped forward, one hand out, and felt the edge of the pedestal. He took a deep breath, then reached out with both hands and picked up the cube. The heat was intense, but only for a moment. Then a voice rang in his mind.

_Who are you?_

"Martin. I'm Martin."

_Who is she?_

"Willow." Martin shifted his grip on the cube, feeling Willow's hands covering his. "You... you were calling? What do you want?"

_Come and play with me._

"Play?" Willow asked. "Play what?"

_The others play... they tell me to do and I do it and they love me...but they don't hear me.... no one hears me... not like you do...I am alone._

Martin's jaw dropped. "Oh... oh, you're aware. You.... and you're young. You're a kid. Right. Right... all right. Look, I'll stay with you. I'll stay and play. But...I... I need you to stop. I need you to stop helping them." He felt the question, and continued, "Yes, I know you're playing. But your playing is hurting people. You... if you want people to like you, to stay and play, you can't hurt them. Do you understand?" For a moment, Martin had a flashback to trying to explain to Violet why she shouldn't read everyone else's mind. "Look, if you hurt people, no one will want to be with you. No one will love you."

_Not?_

"Not. Except... except for people who want to use you. And the Chitauri, they want you to hurt people. They're using your power to hurt people. Can you stop, please?"

Almost immediately, Martin felt tiny fingers, rummaging through his mind. He let them, opening his thoughts to the Tesseract the same way he would to Violet. With the same exceptions -- there were some thoughts and memories that were his _own_ , thank you very much.

_Oh. I make hurt... I make you hurt... No one wants me... no one loves me... they... they use me..._

"You can fix it," Martin said quickly, trying to cut off the rising anger. Powerful child, temper tantrum. _Not_ a good mix.  "I know they used you, but that's their fault, not yours. You didn't know better. You're young. You have to make mistakes to learn. And you can fix it. You can make it all better."

The Tesseract pounced on that with almost giddy glee. _If I fix it, you will stay? You will stay with me? How do I fix it?_

Martin considered it. How do they fix things? Willow answered first. "Put it back," she said slowly. "Put it back the way you found it. Fix what you broke. Apologize. And promise never to do it again."

_Promise?_

"Ah.... you say that you're going to do something. Then you keep to that. You hold yourself to your word. That's a promise."

_And how do I know? How do I know what to do and what not to do?..._

"We'll show you," Martin answered. "We'll help you learn."

_In your mind. You have a little one... I see her... you show her.... you teach her.... you have little ones to come... who shows them?..._

"I... you saw that?"

_... we see.... they wanted the little ones to come... to give to us... to play... so we can see what they see... know what they will know... have the power they will have... this is wrong?..._

Martin swallowed. "Yes. Yes, this was wrong. I'll come with you, willingly. But you can't take someone who doesn't want to come with you."

"Or someone who shouldn't come," Willow said softly. "Someone who should stay, because his family needs him."

"Willow, what are you doing?" Martin could feel pressure on his chest, pushing him back. His hands fell away from the Tesseract, and he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground, no longer in control of his own body. "Willow!"

"I'm sorry, Martin. I can't let you do this. We'll make everything all right. I promise!"

"Willow!" He tried to get up, struggling against the bonds of magic. He heard Loki calling his name, the sounds of fighting growing closer. Then....

Heat. Searing heat, burning into him, burning through his skull. He screamed as the darkness that surrounded him turned into a conflagration, and Willow's magic surrounded him still, keeping him from escaping. Then, without warning, it was gone.

"Martin!" Firm hands on his shoulders, helping him to sit. "Martin, what were you doing?"

"Grandfather?" Martin gasped. "Grandfather, what... what happened?"

"You tell me," the Doctor answered. "What were you _thinking_?"

"It... it was aware!" Martin answered. "It... it was a child. A powerful child, all alone." He blinked, feeling as if there were sand in his eyes. He rubbed his face, grimacing. At least it didn't hurt any more. "I... I wanted to die. And Willow... she wanted it more. Willow!" He scrambled to his feet, shaking his head. What...? The pain was gone, and the darkness was now bright white. "What... what did she do?"

"Martin!" Martin turned at the sound of Tony's voice. "Martin... what the fuck?" Martin felt hands on his arm, then someone spun him around. He blinked rapidly; the white cleared, resolved into a blurry image of Tony, his helm open. "Martin, your eyes!" He waved a hand in front of Martin's face. "Can you see me?"

"Blurry," Martin answered. "But... yes. Yes!"

"What happened? How?"

Martin turned back toward the brightness. "Willow." He could see the Doctor now, his silhouette sharp against the light. Buffy was standing next to him. Martin walked over slowly, and could just make out the form in the middle of the light. "Willow?"

Willow's voice, when she answered, was resonant, almost jubilant. The light dimmed slightly, and he could see her more clearly. She was smiling. "Martin! Did we get it right? Your eyes, I mean."

"I think so. I can see."

"We're sorry it hurt. And we couldn't make it perfect. Not the way it was. There were connections that wouldn't go back to what they were."

Martin swallowed hard. "It's good enough. Better than the alternative. Will--"

"We've got a lot more work to do. And don't worry about us, Martin. We'll be all right."

"What are you doing, Willow?" the Doctor asked.

"We're going to go away," Willow answered. "Out of human space, so that if we slip up, we won't hurt anyone. And I'm taking the Chitauri with us, so they learn to behave."

"Willow, that's a bit high-handed--"

"Really, Doctor?" Willow interrupted with a laugh. "You're going to tell me that interfering with another species is high-handed? _You_?"

"She has a point," Buffy murmured. "Willow?"

"Tell Giles and Xander and Dawnie I said goodbye, okay?"

Buffy nodded. "I'll tell them. You're sure about this?"

Martin saw Willow nod. "I'm sure. They need me. Never thought I'd have kids. But this... it's kind of like adopting, isn't it?"

"Yes, but who's adopting who?" Loki asked, coming up next to Martin. Martin turned towards him, and saw the shock on Loki's face when he realized that Martin was _looking_ at him. "Willow? You did this?"

"Yep. First part of a lot of work to do. Oh, here." Willow made a throwing gesture, and Martin saw something shiny come flying out of the light. Loki caught it easily. "Give that to your mother," Willow said. "It will undo what the Chitauri did to her, and repair some of the damage. We can't fix everything, but this will help."

Loki looked down, his hand closing around the glowing bauble. "That is two things for which I must thank you."

"Got one more for you," Willow said. She threw again, but this time, the shiny something expanded as it reached Loki, surrounding him. There was a sudden blue flash, bright enough that Martin blinked and shielded his eyes. Then the blue faded, leaving only bright white behind as Loki fell to his knees. Martin dropped to the ground next to him.

"Don't touch him, Martin!" Willow warned. "Leave him be. That's going to take a couple of minutes to sort out. Look, we have to go, before the Chitauri break anything else. Someone say goodbye to John for me?"

"I'm here. Take care of yourself, sweetheart."

"You, too.

Martin looked up to see that the room was now crowded. John. All of the Avengers. A crowd of Slayers. Thor came over and went to one knee next to Martin, his eyes wide.

"What is this?" he asked. "Willow, what have you done to my brother?" But as he spoke, the bright light faded away to nothing. Willow and the Tesseract were gone.

No one said anything for a moment. Then John cleared his throat. "This was it?" he asked. "This is why she's the Great Witch?"

"This is why," the Doctor said. "And there are entire civilizations that will, someday, be ruled by the guidance of the Mother-Witch, the goddess Willow. So you'd better watch out, Odin. She's not going to take any of your mischief."

"Mischief is not usually my purview, Ganglari. But I understand your meaning."

Next to Martin, Thor jerked. "Father!"

Odin waved him still, coming to stand on Loki's other side. The glow surrounding him was fading, and Loki was curled up on the ground, his breathing harsh. Odin looked at him for a moment, then slowly sat down.

"What's happening?" Thor asked. Odin looked up, then looked at Martin. He frowned slightly.

"She undid the damage. Good. She's undoing a great many things. Including my work."

"Loki's memories!" Martin gasped. "He... he's gotten them back?"

"And, I think, is having a hard time dealing with them," Odin said.

"If anyone cares, the Chitauri are gone," Tony called out. "Reports are coming in from all over Asgard, and they are _all_ gone."

"I dare say you won't find them in this universe any more," Odin said. He looked Tony up and down. "You're the man in iron. Thor speaks highly of you."

Tony grinned. "Thanks. There's something else. There's a guy in gold armor outside and he's having fits. So someone remind me, what's a Bifrost?"

"The Bifrost?" Thor looked up. "Willow _rebuilt the Bifrost_?"

"I think that's what he said. So what is it?"

"The bridge. The bridge between all of our worlds." Thor looked down and laughed, then tipped his head back. "Thank you, Willow!"

And Martin swore he heard a chiming laugh, and a familiar voice that he knew he would miss terribly: _You're welcome_...


	33. Chapter 33

The glow finally faded completely, leaving Loki looking as if he were asleep. Martin shifted so that was sitting with his thigh pressed against Loki's back, and started running his fingers through Loki's hair. All around him, people were moving, talking, coming in and out as they tried to organize... something. Martin wasn't sure what. Outside, he heard laughter. Over what, he didn't know. Didn't care. Willow was gone, and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling. So he tried to think of something else. "Someone tell me what I missed? Grandfather, how did you get away?"

"That was all Angrboða, actually," the Doctor said. "When the explosion hit, Willow and Byleist shielded us from the worst of it, and Angrboða found in Loki's mind the last place he'd felt safe, and opened a portal there." He grinned. "Your bedroom."

"Oh." Martin felt his face grow warm. "Well--"

"Don't apologize! It saved our lives. We found your Avengers there, and a General Fury. Who needs to try and not live up to his name. When the TARDIS arrived--"

"You sent them back to Sussex?"

"Of course not. The TARDIS followed me. Once I was safe, she came back into time where I was. Anyway, Willow called in the Slayers. We went back to Jotunheim and collected the Jotuns and the Asgardians, and then came here."

"Martin, you'd have laughed your head off," Tony said. "All the Asgardians, I don't even know how many Jotuns, seventy Slayers and six Avengers, all came pouring out of the TARDIS. It looked like a superhero clown car."

Martin grinned. "That must have been a sight. And... where's Liv now?"

"Still in the TARDIS," John answered. "With Violet, Sherlock and Jim. Last I saw, she was taking a nap. I don't think she even knows we're here. For us, it's only been two hours."

"Two hours?" Martin repeated. "It's been three days for me! At least!"

"It has? Oh.... sorry about that." The Doctor looked abashed, then looked over at Odin. "Frigga is there, too. And Fárbauti. Both of whom want a word with you."

"I'm looking forward to talking to both of them. Once my son wakes." Odin reached out and touched Loki's arm. "You did well, Thor. I'm proud of you."

Thor smiled. "Thank you, Father."

"I'll tell Loki the same, when he wakes. I only hope that he's willing to hear it from me." He looked at Martin. "And I am proud of you."

"Me?" Martin asked, frowning. "I... why me?"

"It was a risk. It's always a risk. But you came through it all splendidly."

"Sir?" Martin looked at Thor, who shook his head.

"Odin..." There was a warning note in the Doctor's voice. "What are you doing, messing around in my bloodline?"

"I didn't know it was your bloodline," Odin said. "I don't often pay attention when the Midgardians try to get my attention, even if they use the old rites. But this one time... there was something... interesting to the power. Something more than the usual empty hand-waving and incense. So I answered the call. I wasn't expecting the outcome. And I didn't know it was your bloodline until Martin told me."

Martin stared at Odin. "Oh... oh, you can't _possibly_ be saying... how...?"

"Soon to be three children, and you don't know how?" Odin jibed. "I thought about taking you, bringing you to Asgard after your mother died. I consulted the Norns, and they told me that I must not interfere with your _wyrd_." Odin frowned. "It was... difficult, seeing how you were treated--"

"Not half so difficult as living it," Martin snapped. He looked down at Loki, who still showed no sign of waking. He couldn't leave, but he needed to get away. A heavy hand landed on his arm.

"Go," Thor said. "You need to think, to clear your mind. I'll stay with him. And when he wakes, I'll bring him to you."

"Thank you," Martin said, and got to his feet. He turned and walked away, not looking where he was going, not answering when people called him. He just walked. Eventually, he found himself on a bridge leading towards a dome. There was no rail, and when he walked to the side to look down, he saw a waterfall, tumbling into an endless drop that was scattered with stars.

"Don't stand too close."

Martin stepped back and looked up to see a man in gold armor. He recognized the voice. "Heimdel?"

"Yes. Don't stand too close to the edge."

"It's a very long way down." Martin craned his neck to see over the edge again, then took another step back. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Why are you here?"

"Right here, you mean?" Martin asked. He looked around. "Thinking. Too many things in my head to stay still. I... Willow is gone. I mean... I guess you know that."

"I know. I would have liked to have met the Great Witch."

Martin smiled slightly. "Can... I mean, you see... everything. Right?"

"I do."

"Can you see her?"

Heimdel was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Come with me."

Curious, Martin followed him into the dome. "What is this?"

"My observatory. It had been destroyed, along with the Bifrost." Heimdel stood with his back to Martin for a moment, then turned and handed him a cup. "Drink. You've had a very long day."

"Oh. Thank you." Martin looked around sipping the smooth mead in his cup. "This is where you watch?"

"Yes. And yes, I see the Great Witch. She is very far away and you will probably not see her again in your lifetime."

"I rather expected that," Martin said slowly. "But... can you tell if she's happy?"

Heimdel turned to look at him, and smiled. "She is."

Martin sighed, looking down. "Good. That's good. Thank you."

"Loki is looking for you."

"I should go back, then." He set the now-empty cup down. "Thank you, Heimdel."

"You're welcome."

Martin left the dome and started walking back towards the city. About half-way back, he stopped, rubbing his eyes and blinking a few times. It didn't change anything -- the sharp edges that he was so used to seeing were gone, replaced by soft blurred lines. Was he going to be able to fly any more?

"Glasses," he said aloud. "Contact lenses. They make allowances for corrected vision. That's it, Martin. It's not over yet." He looked down at himself and grimaced, then walked over to the edge and sat down. He needed to get cleaned up before he went to see Liv. But he wasn't ready to face her. Not yet.

It was quiet, even with the waterfall below him. So quiet that he heard the footsteps coming closer long before he could see who it was. He didn't look up, didn't move until Loki sat down on his right, and Thor on his left.

"Thor told me," Loki said. "Are you...?"

"I'm not sure what I am right now, to be honest," Martin said. "It's... part of me is thinking why couldn't he have found a way to let me know that he was there. To let me know the truth. And then the logical part of me thinking why the hell should I be special? I mean, he didn't tell either of you the truth either. And I didn't know that the man I thought was my Dad wasn't until five years ago. So what could he have told me? Show up one day at the airfield and be all Darth Vader at me?"

"What?" Loki asked.

Thor snickered. "Jane showed me that movie."

Martin grinned and intoned. " _Martin, I am your father_. No, really, that would never have worked. So... I don't know. I suppose it turned out for the best."

"If you'd been raised here, you would never have met Olivia. We would have thought ourselves brothers," Loki said.

"Oh, ick. No. Definitely for the best," Martin agreed. He looked over at Loki. "And... you? How are you?"

Loki frowned. "I remember everything. And... you were right. I think I was better without them. I have... so much to atone for. So many things I can't put right."

"That's not something I ever thought I'd hear you say," Thor said.

Loki leaned forward to look at Thor. "I've had some very good influences the past few days." He looked up, then leaned forward and peered over the edge. He sat back very quickly. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look into the void again."

"Why?" Martin asked. "It's beautiful."

"Loki fell from the bridge, fell into the void," Thor answered. "We all thought him dead."

"That was where they found me the first time," Loki said softly. "I remember falling. I remember thinking that I'd fall forever. Then they found me. Saved me. I thought." He shivered, and Martin put one around around Loki's shoulders.

"It's over."

"For both of us. Now is time to heal." Loki leaned into him.

"Heal. Did you give that thing to your mother?"

Loki shook his head. "I haven't seen her yet. Ganglari told me that Mother-Frigga took her and Olivia to the Halls of Healing. So we can go there next."

"Liv is in the Halls of Healing?" Martin sat up straight. "It... it's not time yet, is it?"

"Not that Ganglari said," Thor answered. "But we should go back. Everyone will want to see you."

"It looks as though people decided not to wait." Loki pointed back down the road toward Asgard. Martin squinted, but couldn't make out who was coming towards them.

"Angrboða," Thor reported. "The twins. And... Loki, your mother!"

"She came all this way?" Loki scrambled to his feet before turning and helping Martin stand. The group was close enough now that Martin could see Fárbauti, leaning on Fengr's arm as they moved to the front of the group, followed by an honor guard of four Jotun warriors.. Loki stepped forward and bowed as she stopped.

"Mother, you should be resting," he said as he straightened.

"I'll rest later. I was worried about you and your heart, my son, and when you did not come to me, I came to you." Fárbauti let go of Fengr's arm and stepped forward, her arms wide, and Loki stepped into her embrace. "I am so very proud of you both. And deeply saddened by the loss of young Willow."

"Heimdel says that she's happy," Martin said softly.

Fárbauti smiled, letting Loki go. "That is good. And... I saw John. He says that you were hurt, Martin?"

"Willow put it right. Mostly."

"And perhaps the healers can undo the rest of the damage," Loki said. "We'll find out."

"Even if they can't, blurry is better than not being able to see at all. I can get..." Martin stopped, unsure how to explain corrective lenses. "Well, we have things, on Earth, to fix bad vision."

"Oh, such as your friend who changes into a _thurs_ wears?"

 _Thurs_? Martin looked at Thor, who grinned. "She means Bruce. A _thurs_... that's a fairly good description of the Hulk."

"If you say so. And yes, Ma'am."

Fárbauti smiled. "I'm sure you'll look quite handsome in them. Shall we go on?"

Loki held out his hand and the still-glowing bauble that Willow had given him. "Mother, I have something for you--"

Martin saw the flash of silver, heard Thor shout at the same moment. Magic flared -- his, Angrboða's, both twins, but none of them were fast enough to stop the blade, or the fountain of blood that drenched Loki's arm and chest, splashing his face. He started to move, to catch Fárbauti as she fell, and stopped with Fengr's bloody sword against his throat. Then one of the four guard was in front of Martin, his sword pointed at Martin's chest. Martin froze, looked past him to see both twins and Angrboða on the ground next to Fárbauti, one of the Jotuns standing over them. The other two guards moved to flank Thor.

"No one move," Fengr snapped. "Not a move, not a breath of magic." He nodded. "Step away... nephew."

Martin seethed, watching as Loki drew himself up and moved away from his mother's body. His face, what Martin could see, was expressionless. But his eyes were as cold and hard as Martin remembered from New York.

"I assume you're going to tell me why," Loki said, his voice quiet. "Before you take my head and kill my family?"

"If you like," Fengr said, drawing the blade over Loki's skin, leaving a red line behind. Fárbauti's blood, or Loki's? Martin couldn't tell. "It's really simple. Finally a chance to get revenge for my brother's shame, and for his murder."

"Oh, is that all? Nothing for yourself?" Loki snorted. "How many years have you served the Queen? How it must have rankled, for you to bow to the woman who destroyed your family honor. And then to find out that I was still alive. Oh, that must have burned. So now you're going to kill me. And then what? None of you will live to get off this bridge. You know that. Heimdel is behind you, Odin before you, and the greatest warriors of Midgard."

"It doesn't matter. My warriors will take the crown and the throne, and Asgard will fall. As it should always have been."

Loki nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "Uncle, do you have sons?"

The question seemed to take Fengr off-guard. "No."

"So... of our line, there's you... and me?" Loki waited for a moment for confirmation, then sniffed. "That makes this easy, then."

There was no warning. Fengr went flying backward, skidding and sliding over the road. Loki followed, and as he walked, he changed. The bloodstained tunic and trousers vanished, replaced by black and green leather. His skin darkened, turned deep blue, and his eyes glowed like coals. Martin heard a scuffle from behind him, but didn't turn -- he pulled his sword from the air and cut down the Jotun facing him, saw the other guard go flying through the air to land limp on the road. Byleist got to his feet and nodded once at Martin, then pointed past him. Martin turned to see Loki still walking towards Fengr.

"He doesn't have a weapon!" Martin hissed to Thor.

"Wait," Thor answered. Martin nodded, then flinched as an eerie ululation started behind him. Next to him, Thor flinched.

"The Queen is dead," Fengr called with a laugh. "Long live the King." He attacked, only to have his blow blocked by Loki's bare hand.

"Yes. Long live the King," Loki called back. He pulled the sword out of Fengr's hand and threw it, skittering and throwing sparks, to fall over the edge of the road. Then he reached out and closed his fist, and Fengr rose from the ground, shouting and cursing, then screaming and begging as Loki floated him out over the void. Silently, Byleist and Helblindi came to stand behind Loki.

"What say you, brothers?" Loki asked. "Do I start my reign anointed with the blood of our mother's murderer?"

"You even need to ask?" Byleist answered.

Martin opened his mouth, then felt Thor's hand on his shoulder. "He has to do this himself, Martin," he whispered. "You cannot interfere."

"But--"

"Our ways are not your ways," Thor interrupted. "But I think he'll surprise you."

Martin stepped back, looking back toward the others. There were more people on the bridge now, most of them breathing heavily, as if they'd come at a run. Odin was there, and the Avengers. John was on the ground, kneeling next Fárbauti's body. She had been covered with someone's cloak. Standing guard over him were Sherlock and Jim, Sherlock with a handgun, and Jim with someone's discarded sword. Angrboða knelt on the other side of the body, crying. Martin looked back at Loki, then walked away, towards the crowd, letting his sword vanish as he passed Sherlock. He knelt down next to Angrboða. She turned to him, and he silently held his arms open, holding her to his chest as her sobs started again.

"What is he doing?" Jim asked.

"Arguing with himself," Sherlock answered. "His own desires at war against what he thinks is best for his realm."

"Drop the bastard," Jim muttered. "I would."

"We know what you'd do, Jim," John said without looking up. His hands, Martin noticed, were covered with blood.

"He can't, though!" Steve said. "I mean... isn't there a justice system here? Can they arrest Fengr? Try him for murder?"

"Our ways are not your ways," Odin said. "His options right now? Kill Fengr, or let him live in dishonor, and know that he will always have that wolf at his door."

"But... how can he make that choice?" Steve asked.

"That, my boy, is both the privilege and the price of the crown."

Martin kept watching, squinting and craning his neck to be able to see past Sherlock, and saw Loki bring Fengr back to the bridge.

"I will not start my reign this way," he said, clear even at a distance. "There has been enough blood shed for the crown." He looked Fengr up and down. "You have a choice, Uncle."

"What choice?"

"Swear your allegiance to Us, to Our family, to Our children yet unborn and to those We call kin. Swear in blood that you will serve Us well, and We shall allow you to keep your life. Naturally, your holdings will be forfeit as _wergild,_ but you would be allowed, on Our charity, to remain as chief among the Warriors."

"And the alternative?"

Loki pointed out into the vast darkness. "The void." He shrugged, then smiled coldly. "I survived the fall, I see no reason why you would not. So there is your choice, Uncle. Live as a loyal servant to the King you despise, or live forever, falling into the darkness." He turned slightly, then looked back. "You have five minutes."

Martin heard Odin laugh. "Very good. Very clever." He ignored the commentary from behind him, watching as Loki walked towards them, brushing past Jim and Sherlock to reach the body. He sank to his knees, stiff, his face finally showing his grief as he drew back the cloak to look at Fárbauti's face.

"I doubt it will help, but she went quickly," John said, his voice quiet. "She probably never felt anything."

"You didn't see her face," Loki said, reaching out and touching his mother's cheek. "She knew." He sat back, and the darkness faded from his skin. He looked across at Martin, his green eyes shadowed with exhaustion and pain. "I couldn't kill him," he said softly.

"I know. I like the choices you gave him." Martin looked at the odd way Loki was holding his hand. "John?"

John reached across and took Loki's hand; Loki winced, but let him examine it. "This is broken!" John said. "When you caught the sword?"

"I think so, yes. I shielded, but not well enough, it seems. Not one of my better ideas. I'll have it tended to when this is done." Loki smiled slightly. "Thank you." He looked down at Fárbauti again and shook his head. "I barely knew her. Why does this hurt so much?"

"Because you barely knew her, and you should have known her longer. You should have had longer," Sherlock answered without turning. "I... felt the same when my mother was killed."

"How old were you?" Byleist asked, joining Loki on the ground. Helblindi knelt on Loki's other side.

"Thirty-six."

Loki nodded, then looked up. "I... don't know what the proper rites would be. I want her treated with all honor, with everything she is due as Queen and as my mother. But, I don't know--"

"I'll help you, my lord." Angrboða sniffled and pulled out of Martin's arms. "She was my kin, too. I know what is needful."

"Thank you." Loki sat down, rubbed his good hand over his face, then looked back over his shoulder. "Time's up?"

"Was that five minutes?" Martin asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm saying it was five minutes. And I hope he jumps." Loki slowly got to his feet and walked past Thor, Sherlock and Jim. "Have you decided, Fengr?" he called.

"I have."

"And?"

Fengr looked Loki in the face, then bowed. "I will serve the Jotun King."

Loki paused, then nodded. "We accept. Come and swear your allegiance."

Fengr came closer, went to one knee in front of Loki. "I swear that I will serve Loki, the King of the Jotuns... in Hel!" He launched himself forward, and Martin had time to see the knife in his hand before Sherlock and Thor both grabbed Loki, dragging him backwards and nearly throwing him onto Angrboða. Fengr's next lunge was met by Jim, who dove in under the Jotun's guard and buried his sword in Fengr's thigh. Fengr howled, and Jim danced backward, laughing as he abandoned the sword.

"I didn't think that would work!" he crowed. Then he froze as the howl was answered, the sound echoing and growing. Martin turned to look at Asgard, and saw something coming towards them.

"Oh, tell me that isn't more of them?" he said. "How many came with you?"

"That... just might be all of them," Thor answered. "Fall back to the observatory!"

"But... Mother!" Helblindi cried. "We can't leave her there!"

"I've got her," Loki answered. He held his uninjured hand out and the body rose; when it was a foot off the ground, Tony moved in quickly and scooped it up without breaking stride.

"Save your magic, " he said as he passed them. "Move it, Green-eyes."

Loki stopped in his tracks. "Green-eyes?" he repeated, breaking into a run when Martin tugged on his arm.

"Tony, I don't think now is the right time for flirting!" Steve shouted.

Tony just looked at him. "We're... what? Sixteen people? And we're about to overrun by hordes of screaming Smurfs on steroids. Sorry, this falls in to "no time like the present" territory. Because we might not have a future. And like you weren't flirting with the Slayer a couple of hours ago!"

"Really?" Martin blurted out. "With Buffy?"

Steve looked away, and Tony winked at Martin. Then they were inside the observatory.

"How many warriors do we have? And how many mages?" Odin demanded.

"Eight... no, nine warriors," Thor answered. "Five mages. Two non-combatants. Bruce, my friend, please don't break the Bifrost?"

Bruce smiled. "I'll do my best to leave it the way I found it."

"Thank you."

Tony joined them, having left his heartbreaking bundle in a corner. "Did anyone see what happened to Fingers?"

Loki looked around, frowning slightly. "Where is Angrboða?" he asked. Martin turned and didn't see her. Then he noticed who else was missing.

"Where's Jim?"

"Guys?" Natasha called from the doorway. "You might want to take a look."

"Oh, no," Martin breathed. He joined Loki at the door, then pulled back when he realized he couldn't see that far. "He has them, doesn't he?"

"Yes."


	34. Chapter 34

"Can we get a signal or something to the Asgardian warriors in the palace?" Steve asked. Then he frowned. "No, that won't work. Hostages."

John nodded. "Extraction first. What the hell happened? We were all in a group. How did Fengr get them?"

"Does it matter?" Loki asked. He leaned back against the wall and slid down it, cradling his injured hand. "How can we get Angrboða and Jim out safely? We aren't trapped here -- we can use the Bifrost to get away. But if we do, Fengr will kill them both."

"We can't bring anyone in that way, either, can we?" Tony asked.

"No. It's far too noticeable," Odin answered. "We are on our own."

"So... what do we do?" Martin asked. He went over to sit with Loki. "How do we fight them?" He looked around, then sighed. "I wish we had Buffy. She's used to odds like this."

"We don't. So we need to work with what we have," John said crisply. He came over and knelt down next to Loki, digging a med-kit out of his coat pocket. "Let me see that hand. I don't have much in the way of supplies, but I should be able to tape it."

"John, could you make this shot?" Sherlock asked. "Take Fengr out from here?"

"Maybe. Natasha would be able to do it better. Or Clint. Why?"

"Because if we cut off the head, then the rest will fall apart." Sherlock pointed out the door. "There is no cohesiveness to these troops. No loyalty."

"You think so?" Thor asked, coming over to stand with him.

"They're sheep," Sherlock answered. "They follow because they are accustomed to following."

Thor looked thoughtful. "So... if a stronger leader presented himself, they would follow him just as readily?"

"That is what I mean by sheep, yes," Sherlock said. Thor just grinned at him.

"Thank you." He turned and walked over to Loki, crouching down to sit on his heels in front of him. "Did you hear that?"

"Sheep. Yes, I heard it." Loki looked at Thor, and his eyes widened. "Oh, no. The last time I saw that look on your face, we invaded Jotunheim. What are you thinking?"

"That you have to show them that you are the stronger leader," Thor answered. "That you have to bring Fengr down, and do it without magic. You have to prove yourself a warrior."

Loki frowned slightly, then coughed. "You're serious?"

"Yes."

"And... you think I can do this?"

"I know you can do this." Thor smiled. "I have seen you fight, Brother."

Loki looked down at the hand that John was still working on taping, then back at Thor. "When did you learn subtlety?"

Thor laughed. "When did you learn compassion?"

Loki laughed outright. "All right. I'll challenge him. And make it a condition that he releases the hostages."

"Challenge him?" Martin asked. "To what?"

"The holmgang," Loki answered. He looked up, to where Steve was standing behind Thor. "Single combat, Captain. Essentially, a very regulated, very structured duel. We each have three shields and a sword. The area in which we fight is a staked out hide, and we must stay on the hide. To leave the hide is to admit defeat. As the challenged, he has the right to the first strike, and he will strike my shield. If it breaks, my second will give me another, and I will strike Fengr's shield. If we go through all three shields, we must stand and use our sword to defend ourselves. And the contest continues until there is blood on the hide."

"So... first blood ends it," Steve said.

Loki nodded. "The injured loses the challenge. If he loses, then he forfeits whatever we decide on before we start. If I lose, I must pay him half _Wergild_. If I die... he inherits all that I own. Including my titles."

"And... nothing else? No other penalties for murder?"

"I'm planning on making the forfeit a jump off the Bifrost. But honestly? Right now, I'm more worried for the living." Loki looked past Steve to Byleist and Helblindi. "Do you object, brothers?"

"Don't lose," Bylesit muttered.

"If you lose, he goes without punishment for Mother's murder--"

"And our lives will be worth nothing. He'll have us killed as soon as he takes the crown."

Loki nodded. "I know. I won't lose."

"Wait, if you lose, he gets to be King?" Tony asked. "You're joking! I mean, if you're going to do ritual combat to avenge your mother's death, shouldn't it be to the death or something?"

"That was the old way. _Einvigi,_ " Thor said. "That was complete mayhem. No rules, no judges. Battle to the death. No one does it that way anymore."

"Death is always a risk during combat, make no mistake," Loki added. "But in the holmgang, it's rare." He flexed his taped hand and winced. "Good thing this is my shield arm. I need a second."

"Brother--"

"No, Thor," Loki looked up. "If I am to do this, and be seen as the true Jotun King, I cannot have any assistance from Asgard. I have to stand on my own, or I'll be seen forever as Odin's puppet."

"He has a point," Odin said. "So, who then?"

Loki looked at Martin. "Forgive me, but I don't want you involved."

"If you asked me, I'd refuse," Martin answered. "Loki, I don't think I'm able to be your second. Not with not being able to see clearly."

"That wasn't my reason. I don't want to take a chance on you or Byleist or Helblindi getting hurt."

"Is that a possibility?"

"With Fengr? Anything is possible." Loki slowly got up, looking around the observatory. He frowned slightly as his eyes moved from person to person. Until he stopped.

"Me?" Natasha said, sounding shocked. "You want me?"

"If you would do me the honor?" Loki asked. "I will understand if you say no."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. First is that it will unnerve him. From what I understand, Jotun women don't fight. Not the way some Asgardian women do. So to see a woman standing on the field of battle, even if only on the edges of the _hólmgangustadr_ , will be a psychological blow."

Natasha nodded slowly. "And the other reason."

"I've seen you fight," Loki answered. "If, to borrow Martin's term, things go pear-shaped, I won't have to worry about you being able to hold your own."

Natasha smiled. "Good reasons. What would I need to do?"

"Hand me the shields. And you can use the shield to try and hinder Fengr. Within reason."

"So I can't kill him?"

Loki laughed. "Not yet, no. But you can use the shields you carry to break his sword. I'll explain more after I make the challenge."

"Can he refuse?" Tony asked. "If you smack him with the glove, can he walk away?"

"Smack him with the glove?" Loki repeated. "Why would I do that?"

"Never mind. What happens if he says no?"

"He becomes _nithing_ , and is banished. And anyone who wants to can kill him." Loki looked at Natasha, who was grinning.

"I hope he says no," she said. "I liked your mother. What little I got to talk to her, I mean."

Loki nodded. "I could say the same. Thank you, Natasha. Now, I'll need to go down there. Clint, would you cover from here?"

"Happy to."

"I may need you to send a signal. So watch for that. And I'll need an entourage. Martin?" Loki looked around. "Byleist, Helblindi. This I will want you for. Ah...Tony?"

"Sure. Martin, if we're going for balance and intimidation, you should armor up."

Martin got to his feet, and watched as Loki made a a small gesture, changing back into his Jotun form. His crown vanished, replaced by a gold helm. A horned helm. Martin bit his lip, and tried to keep his face slack, but it was too late. Loki saw him.

"What?" Loki asked. "Something amusing?"

"The helm," Martin said, trying not to giggle. "You know I love you, right?"

Loki blinked. "Yes."

Martin covered his mouth with his hand, scrubbing his face and feeling three days worth of beard. Tried not to give in to laughter. "Darling, the helm is ridiculous. You were better with the crown."

"Ridiculous," Loki repeated. "You think so?" He turned, looked at Thor. Who looked equally close to breaking into laughter.

"How many times did I tell you that over the years?" Thor asked. "But what do I know?"

"All right. All right. If two of the people I love best in the world say it's ridiculous, it must be." He glanced over at Tony and Steve. "How did you both manage to not laugh at me when you saw me first in Germany?"

"I did!" Tony called out.

"You didn't laugh. You just called me silly names." Loki sighed, and the helm vanished, replaced by the simple silver crown. "All right. Tony, no chatter. Let me do the talking."

"Two from Midgard, two from Jotunheim. Do you want an Asgard representative?" Thor asked.

Loki smiled. "Brother, I would be honored if you would join me."

"Cover that hand," John said. "You don't want to let them know you're hurt."

Loki nodded and created a pair of gloves, pulling them on and wincing. He flexed his fingers once more. "Shall we?"

#

The walk out from the observatory seemed to take hours. Martin was at Loki's left, in full armor, and with his helm down to match Tony's sealed armor. Loki gestured for them to stop about twenty feet from the line of warriors, and raised his voice, amplifying it so that it rang out over the Bifrost.

"Where, then, is Fengr, who calls himself leader of the Warriors?"

"I am here." Fengr made his way out of the crowd, coming to stand in front of Loki. He was in full armor, and carrying a heavy-looking shield. "Have you come to surrender, oh King of Nothing?"

Loki sniffed. "No. No, I've come to see if I could discover the mythical honor of the warrior caste." There was a rumble from behind Fengr. Loki ignored them, looking up at Fengr. "What sort of honor is it, Fengr, that steals a helpless babe from his cradle, and leaves him to die? What sort of honor swears fealty, only to turn traitor? What sort of honor plots sedition, plans an uprising to remove the rightful Queen from power?" Loki stepped forward. "What sort of honor slays an unsuspecting, unarmed, old woman from behind?" He looked past Fengr to the crowd of Jotuns. "Is this the honor of the Jotun warriors?" he called out, then looked back at Fengr. "Or is this simply one man, dragging his entire caste into the depths of depravity and dishonor to bring himself out from under the shadow of a dead man's dishonor?"

The slap rocked Loki back a step, snapping his head to one side. Martin growled and stepped forward, saw Loki raise his hand. He touched his fingers to his lip, and Martin was close enough to see the leather shining with wetness when he pulled them away. He turned slightly, and Martin could see him smiling.

"Now that we have that out of the way," he said, in an almost conversational tone. "We can get on with the formalities. I assume you understand that if you raise a hand to me, you will die?"

"Your Midgardian thralls couldn't stop me."

Loki smiled and raised one hand. A breath later, an arrow embedded itself in Fengr's shield, which started smoking, then burst into flame. Fengr dropped it, looking shocked.

"Consider that your only warning," Loki said. "You were my mother's sworn man. You violated your oaths to the crown and to the realm. I could have you executed as an oathbreaker."

"And there would be war such as Jotunheim has never known!"

"I know," Loki agreed. "I do know that. So I must handle this myself." He smiled wolfishly. "You are not a man's equal, and you are not a man at heart."

Fengr stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You challenge me? To the holmgang?"

"You could always say no, like the craven coward you are," Loki said.

"I accept. What are your terms?"

"If the first blood on the hide is yours, then you will jump from the Bifrost. If the first blood on the hide is mine, I will offer you half _wergild_. And if I die--"

"The crown is mine!"

"Naturally. You inherit everything of mine, including my titles.I have other terms. I want the hostages released. And if I should die, my brothers Byleist and Helblindi and my kinswoman Angrboða shall be allowed to leave Jotunheim unharmed, to live their lives in peace where they will."

Fengr smiled. "I do not agree to those terms. If you die, you cannot dictate anything."

"Then I hereby name Martin, son of Odin, as guardian to my brothers until they come of age. And I foster them in his household of London, in the Midgard."

"You what?" Martin hissed. Loki ignored him.

Fengr nodded once. "I will not release the hostages."

"Those are my terms. If you do not accept, you forfeit the holmgang." Loki gestured to the edge of the bridge. "The choice is yours. Release the hostages to me, or become _skóggangur_. Now, where are the hostages?"

Fengr scowled, then shouted, "Bring the thrall and the whore!" He turned back to Loki. "One hostage. I will release one now, and the other once the holmgang has begun."

Loki frowned, looked down, then looked back up as Angrboða and Jim were brought to the front. Jim's face was bruised, and he looked furious. Angrboða looked at them, then looked away; her tunic was torn down the front, and she was holding it closed with one hand.

"Who dared?" Loki snarled. "Who dared lay a hand on a maiden of the royal house?"

Fengr laughed and stepped back to stand next to Angrboða, taking a lock of her hair between his fingers. "Maiden? Is that what you think?" He laughed again as Jim launched himself at him, only to be knocked back by the guard. Jim glared at him, then looked at Loki.

"Take Angrboða," he called. "I'm fine."

Loki nodded once, shrugging out of his long leather vest. He went to Angrboða and put it around her shoulders, walking her back to Martin and Tony. They closed ranks around her, and Loki turned to look back at Fengr. "I expect him to be treated with honor, if you have any left. If I find any more bruises on him, I will push you over the edge myself."

Fengr smiled and reached out, patting Loki on the cheek. "You're very much like him, you know. You have Laufey's temper."

"You have agreed to the holmgang. We shall meet--"

"In one hour. And here," Fengr finished.

Loki didn't even hesitate. "In one hour."


	35. Chapter 35

"... I am going to take the top of his skull and make it into a drinking bowl! Then I am going to break every single bone in his body, starting from his neck and working my way down! I am going to geld him! Lengthwise!"

Martin winced, and saw just about every male in earshot do the same. Loki had been on a tear since they had gotten back inside the observatory, pacing back and forth from one side of the dome to the other. Everyone else had stayed out of his way, waiting for him to wind down.

Until Sherlock huffed and walked out into Loki's path, forcing him to stop.

"I'm curious. Are you going to continue to allow him to manipulate you, or are you going to finish this tirade sometime soon?" Sherlock asked.

Loki stepped back, blinked, then coughed. "Manipulate me?"

"Have you been listening to yourself?" Sherlock asked.

"I have a fairly good idea of what I said, yes."

"And have you been thinking at all?" Sherlock asked. "Or are you simply reacting?"

Loki pointed at Angrboða, who was sitting on the floor next to Martin, huddled in Thor's cloak. "He hurt her!"

"He didn't," Sherlock said, his voice low. "John says he didn't touch her. Oh, he tore her clothing. Embarrassed her. Insulted her beyond measure, from what I understand of your people's rather arcane ideas of personal honor. And, most importantly, infuriated you to the point where you'll be useless in a fight if you do not stop reacting and start thinking." He paused, then shrugged. "Fengr probably noticed just how besotted you are with Angrboða. You certainly haven't been subtle about it. Of course, she hasn't exactly hidden her feelings for you, either. It rather makes her the obvious target."

"That's enough, Sherlock," John said.

Loki looked startled. He turned toward Angrboða. "You weren't hurt?"

"No," she answered. "You... you never gave me the chance to tell you that I was all right."

Loki turned back to Sherlock, then shook his head and started laughing. "I've been acting besotted?"

"Yes," Sherlock answered, nodding.

"And so has she," Loki said, his voice softer. He went over to Angrboða and knelt down next to her. " Angrboða, I am so very sorry. This is my fault. I put you in harm's way, and I didn't even realize I was doing it."

She smiled and reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. "It's not your fault."

Loki touched the back of her hand, and ducked his head, laughing softly. Then he looked up. "Father?" He sat down, taking Angrboða's hand in his. "Do you think I could trouble you to marry us? Right now?" He looked back to Angrboða. "If you've no objections, of course?"

Angrboða's mouth fell open, and she said nothing for a moment. Then she looked up and whispered, "But... but Martin--"

"Oh, don't let me stand in your way," Martin said quickly. "I'm the last person to object if Loki decides he wants to take a wife. Besides, I like you, too. And so does Liv. As long as you don't mind me borrowing your husband now and again, I think we'll work out all right."

"I... I don't mind," Angrboða stammered. She turned back to Loki. "You are serious?"

"I have never been more serious," Loki answered. "But you must remember this. In less than an hour, I'll be entering the _hólmgangustadr_. I might not come out again. So this might be a very short marriage. And if I do fall, you might never see Jotunheim again, because I would expect you to go to Midgard with Martin."

"You don't get to tell me what to do until I call you husband," Angrboða said. "And even then, I might not listen."

"That's the way of wives, my son," Odin offered. "Best you learn it now."

"You still haven't said yes," Loki pointed out.

"Yes! But..."

"No yes, but! Yes or no."

"Yes. It's just... we don't have anything that we need for the ceremony. We don't have the oath-rings, or the swords. How can we get married?"

"I think I might be able to help with that. Odin?" Martin asked. "Do you know what hand-fasting is?"

"The sealing of a bargain by the joining of hands, yes."

"Well, yes and no. I know it meant that, but there's more to it now. It's a rite, on Earth. It's old, so I thought you might know it." Martin scratched the back of his neck. "It's... well, essentially, it's a betrothal. But here’s the thing. Once you swear the vows, you're legally married."

Odin smiled. "And I assume you know these rites?"

"Actually, I do," Martin answered. "I officiated at one a few years ago. Now, there does need to be an exchange of gifts, but it could be just about anything."

"Martin, did you just say that you could marry us?" Angrboða asked.

"I can, and I will. But you need to exchange gifts. Ah... wait. Anyone have a coin? A gold coin?"

"I do," Byleist said. He took one out of his pouch and handed it to Martin. "Will that do?"

"Yes. This is perfect." He held it out to Thor. "Do us a favor, will you? Break that in half?"

"What?" Thor took the coin and looked at it. "Martin, why?"

"Just... trust me." Martin looked around. "Right. Everyone gather around. This is... probably the oddest wedding I've ever been to, but we'll make it work. Thor?"

"Here. Now, why?"

Martin just grinned, and handed half of the broken coin to Loki, and the other half to Angrboða. "Now, when I tell you to, switch. Ah... need a cord. A ribbon." His eyes fell on Clint. "A bowstring! Clint, do you have an extra? One you won't need back?"

"Yes." Clint pulled one out of his quiver and handed it over. "Oh. Before I forget again. Sorry about the slap."

Loki looked at him and grinned. "You let that past on purpose, didn't you? Revenge for Germany?"

Clint looked abashed, then grinned. "Well, maybe a little."

"I thought as much." He turned back to Martin. "Now what?"

"Now?" Martin took the bowstring and looped it over his shoulders so he wouldn't lose it. "Now... ah... all right, Loki.Your left hand. Angrboða, yours, too. Carefully! Remember, he's broken." He took their hands in his and put them together. Martin smiled and reached out, wrapping the bowstring around their joined hands. "Here before witnesses, you will swear vows to each other. With this cord, I bind you to the vows that you each will make. Now, Loki, repeat after me. I, Loki, son of Fárbauti, take thee Angrboða, daughter of..."

"Aurboda," Angrboða supplied.

"Thank you. Daughter of Aurboda, to my wedded wife, till death us depart, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Loki nodded, his eyes never leaving Angrboða's as he repeated, "I, Loki, son of Fárbauti, take thee Angrboða, daughter of Aurboda, to my wedded wife, till death us depart, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Angrboða swallowed, and her voice trembled as she said, "I, Angrboða, daughter of Aurboda, take thee Loki, son of Fárbauti, to my wedded husband, till death us depart, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"You have pledge gifts to exchange?" Martin asked, already knowing the answer. Loki looked like he was about to break into giggles as he offered a solemn Angrboða his half of the coin. She accepted it, then gave her piece to Loki.

"In front of witnesses, you have plighted your troth and exchanged your gifts. Before all the Gods, I name you man and wife. Kiss your bride."

"That's it?" Loki asked. "That's the whole thing?"

"We're a bit crunched for time, love. Kiss her, or I will."

Loki laughed. "Oh, no. I get the first one." He tugged Angrboða closer and cupped her face with his free hand as he leaned down to kiss her. Martin stepped back, smiling as he watched them. Someone touched his arm, and he turned to see Bruce.

"I had a thought," Bruce said quietly. "Someone said that the Jotuns track lineage through the mother, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And Angrboða was related to the Queen?"

"Her... niece. Yes, that's right. Her niece."

"And the only living female of the royal line," Bruce said. Martin looked at him, waiting for the rest. "Her children carry the royal bloodline, no matter who she marries. Because Fárbauti had no daughters."

"I'm not seeing where you're going with this, Bruce," Martin said slowly. "Loki is her heir-"

"But he's her son!" Bruce insisted. "His children won't carry the royal bloodline. They'll carry their mother's bloodline."

"Oh..." Martin breathed. "Oh, I see. So Loki pretty much had to marry Angrboða?"

"To secure the royal line, yes. But if he doesn't come out of this holmgang--"

"Then we have to keep Fengr away from her," Martin finished. "Because marrying her would solidify his hold on the crown."

"Exactly," Bruce said. He looked past Martin. "How much of that did you hear?"

Martin turned to see Thor standing behind him. "Too much. I don't like how well thought-out this plan seems to be."

"Angrboða said that the warriors weren't as intelligent as the lines of power," Martin said, remembering the sleigh ride that now seemed so long ago. "I wonder how much of that is... well, racism. And if they're not overlooking a valuable part of their culture."

"Could be," Bruce said.

"Loki's father led the warriors," Thor said. "I can't imagine that they'd have joined the two lines if they thought one of them was inferior."

Martin blinked. Something Thor had said... something... He looked out across the room, to where Loki and Angrboða were being congratulated by the Avengers. Helblindi came up and whispered to Loki, then took the bowstring and walked away. Loki leaned down and kissed Angrboða on the cheek, then laughed. That was when Martin realized what it was...

"Loki's father led the warriors," he repeated. "It isn't just the throne he's supposed to inherit! He's supposed to combine the bloodlines! He's the rightful leader of the warrior line, too! That's why Fengr wants him dead!"

The entire room fell silent, and Martin realized too late that he'd raised his voice. Loki looked at him, his brow furrowed.

"He doesn't want the throne?" he asked.

"The throne is gravy," Martin said. "He knew your mother was dying, and he was the logical choice of regent, right? Angrboða, you told us that. So, Fengr becomes regent, and the twins... well, probably vanish like the Princes in the tower. He doesn't have to get his hands dirty. Then, he marries Angrboða to seal his place as King. But you came back, Loki. You're the heir to the throne, and you're the heir to the position he holds as leader of the warriors."

Loki frowned, his good mood evaporated. He hugged Angrboða to his side. "And now I have to beat him," he said. "Thor, have you ever seen him fight?"

"When we fought the Chitauri, today," Thor answered.

"And?"

"And... he's good." Thor folded his arms over his chest and looked distant. "He favors his right hand. And he's used to battle. His arm is strong. Strong enough that I think you'll be out of shields in three strikes."

Loki sighed. "That was my thought. And your opinion?"

Thor shook his head. "Brother, I'm worried for you. He's a bigger opponent then you've ever fought."

"So was Goliath," Steve said. "But David found a way. Loki, is there a certain kind of shield you're supposed to use?"

"Simple wood ones, usually," Loki answered.

"Can you bring your own shield?" Without waiting for an answer, Steve held out his own shield. "If it's allowed, you can use mine."

Loki's jaw dropped. "You... no! No, no, no... you'd let me use your weapon, Captain? You..." He stopped, pulled himself up and swallowed hard. "Tell me why. You have a reason. You must have a reason. This isn't just... charity, or concern for my safety. Tell me."

"Yes, I am concerned. I told you in Sussex that I was looking forward to seeing what you did with your second chance. So far, I'm liking what I see. But you're right. There is another reason." Steven paused for a moment. "Asgard has been on the front line for a long time now. How many of your soldiers have fallen?"

"A good number," Thor answered. Steve grinned.

"An answer that isn't an answer. Fair enough. Have you lost enough that you'd have a problem standing up against the Jotuns who are right now camped out in your back yard?"

Thor scowled, turning away. He walked a few steps away, then came back. "It... would be difficult. Our numbers are low enough that if we were attacked tomorrow, holding Asgard would be difficult."

"Is it that bad?" Odin asked.

"Yes, Father."

"So, if the Jotuns take Asgard, they have control of this." Steve looked up at the top of the observatory. "They have the Bifrost. Which you tell me can take them anywhere in the Nine Worlds."

"You think they'll invade Midgard," Loki said.

"Oh, I'm certain of it," Steve said. "I've met Fengr's kind before. They're never satisfied with what they have. If he takes the throne, then Asgard will be next. Then your other two allies, so he doesn't have a threat at his back. Then... he's coming for us."

"It makes sense," Odin agreed. "They've wanted Midgard for a very long time."

Steve nodded. "So, I suppose you can call it a preemptive strike. Loaning you my shield now keeps the Jotuns off of Earth later." He smiled slightly. "But that's only a part of it. You've come a long way. I don't want it to be wasted."

Loki licked his top lip and closed his eyes for a moment. "Captain... out of everything you have done for me, for my family, out of everything you've said to... to encourage me... this means the most. It means more to me then you can possibly imagine. I am... deeply humbled. And very, very grateful."

"Just promise me you won't invade Midgard, all right?"

Loki's smile was brilliant. "I can promise that. And... perhaps I can also promise alliance?"

"That you'll have to discuss with General Fury," Steve said.

"And possibly Liv's father," Martin added. "How are we on time?"

"They've set up what looks like a boxing ring out there," Tony answered. "And... yeah, I think we're out of time. Sorry you kids didn't have time for a wedding night."

Loki nodded, but didn't look up from where Angrboða was helping him strap on Steve's shield. When she was done, Loki looked up and grinned at Tony. "Don't give up on me yet. I fully intend to have a long and happy married life." He smiled at Angrboða. "Am I ready?"

"You've no sword. And I doubt that you could trust a blade borrowed from one of them." Angrboða nodded toward the door.

"True."

"You can use mine," Martin said. "I... I think. I've never tried to give it to someone else before." He pulled his sword from the air and offered it to Loki, hilt first, the blade resting on his forearm. Loki reached out and took the sword, slowly picking it up. He examined the blade and laughed out loud.

"Martin, this is beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Well now. Shall we go?" Loki started toward the door.

"Wait. Before you go." Helblindi stepped forward. He had been huddled off in a corner, all by himself. Now he looked very self-satisfied. "I have something for you. For both of you." He held out both hands. Angrboða reached out and he let what he was holding fall into her palms. The two halves of the gold coin, each of them pierced by a length of the bowstring, which had then been fused into an unbroken circle. "I thought... you could wear them."

Angrboða laughed, looking delighted. "Helblindi, this is wonderful." She took one and slipped it over Loki's head, tucking the coin into his shirt. She put the other one on, then kissed Helblindi's cheek. "Thank you, my brother."

"Yes. Thank you." Loki looked down at his chest, at the hidden coin, then back up. He smiled broadly. "Let's go. You know, I might just enjoy this!"


	36. Chapter 36

By the time they left the observatory, a large crowd of Jotuns had gathered behind Fengr. Loki stopped outside the doorway, frowning.

"Is that all of them?" he murmured.

"Looks to be less than half," Thor answered.

Loki nodded. "So, are these his only followers, or are the rest positioned to strike if I fall?"

"I would think that if the others were moving into position, someone would notice. And it isn't like your friends don't know where we are," John said. "We told Fandral we were following you and Loki out here to find Martin. There's no obvious fighting down there, so I think no one's noticed we're in trouble."

"Which explains why Fengr insisted on moving so quickly to the fight," Sherlock added. "He's trying to get this done before anyone notices."

"Any way we can let them know?" Tony asked. "Hey, Flyboy? Can you send up a flare or something?"

"Not without being noticed. But I can see if I can reach Violet. And if I can't, Sherlock probably can."

"Do that," Loki said. "If you can."

Martin nodded, then leaned against the observatory wall, closing his eyes. _Vee? Sweetheart, can you hear me?_

_Papa! Papa, are you okay? Mama said you might be hurt!_

_I was hurt, Poppet, but Auntie Willow put me right._ He tried to smother the pang of loss when he thought about Willow. That he'd tell them in person.

_Is Auntie Willow okay? You got sad._

_I'll tell you when I see you, Poppet. Is Frigga with you?_

_Yes, Papa. And Mama is here, too. I told her that I was talking to you, and she says to tell you.._. Violet paused. _Mama says that you have to break this habit of getting kidnapped when she's gonna have a baby._

Martin laughed. _Tell her I'll do my best. Now, tell Frigga this. Exactly what I tell you._

_Okay._

_Fengr betrayed us. He's committed regicide. Loki is King, and he's challenged Fengr to the holmgang. Which is happening now. Half the Jotun warriors are here. We don't know where the others are. Be ready for an attack. Do you have that, Poppet?_

_I told her, Papa. Now she's crying. What's regicide?_

_A bad thing, Poppet. Fengr did a bad thing._

_Is Granny Fárbauti dead?_

Martin grimaced. _Yes, Poppet._

_Is Uncle Luke gonna kill him?_

_Violet!_

Her laughter rang in his mind. _Granny Frigga says that she'll tell people. And that you need to be careful and hurry back._

_I'll do my best. Oh, and tell Frigga that Loki married Angrboða._

_Okay. I told her. She's making funny noises now._

_Now tell your mum that I love her, and that I can't wait to see her._

_She says she loves you, too._

Martin opened his eyes. "Frigga is taking care of things. And is making funny noises, Violet says."

Odin looked at him, then sighed. "You told her that Loki married."

"Yes."

"She'll never let me forget that I didn't insist that we wait for her to be here."

"Tell her that she can plan the big royal wedding."

"What big royal wedding?" Loki asked. "I can't be more married than I am now."

"Sure you can," Tony said, and winked, then laughed as Loki turned slightly red.

"The one that your people are going to need to let them know that you're really married, and that you're really king," Thor answered, "It's a symbol. One that we're all going to need."

Loki looked at his brother and laughed. "It's going to take me time to grow accustomed to hearing political wisdom from you. When are you going to have your own symbol? I haven't yet met your lady."

Thor looked over his shoulder at the observatory. "Sooner than I thought, perhaps. Now that she can come and go as she needs."

"Come and go?"

"Jane won't give up her work. Nor would I ask her to do so."

"You're both jumping the gun here," Tony said. "They're waiting. Let's go kick some blue ass."

"You must not interfere," Loki said as he started walking. "There can't be any help from outside, except for Natasha. You're expected to help me by using the extra shields to try and hinder Fengr."

"You told me that," Natasha said. "Nervous?"

"Perhaps a little. I've never gone onto the hides before. I've seen it done." Loki looked back over his shoulder, towards Angrboða and the twins. "I have so much to lose."

"Then don't lose," Clint said, his eyes fixed forward. Martin squinted, but couldn't tell what he was looking at.

"That had occurred to me, yes," Loki snapped. Then he sighed. "Clint, I apologize..."

"Don't worry. Pre-battle jitters. Happens to everyone."

"Not you," Loki grumbled.

"Want to bet?" Natasha asked, smiling sweetly. Clint scowled at her, then nodded.

"You'll do all right," Clint said. "This thing, is it just hitting each other in turns, or are you going to actually fight?"

"It's a give and take," Loki answered. "Usually. I put nothing past him."

"If he comes at you all out, it looks like his left shoulder is weak. He's not raising that shield as high as he should. Left leg is bandaged, too, from where Jim got him. That has to hurt like a wicked bitch."

Loki nodded. "So, would you think a fast overhand strike would get through his guard?"

"Depends on how fast," Clint answered. "An overhand feint might be better."

"I'll keep that in mind. All I have to do it make him bleed, after all. Blood on the hide ends it."

"We hope," Natasha muttered.

Loki grimaced. "We hope," he echoed. "But now Asgard is warned. So if he betrays us again, he won't get far."

"We hope," Byleist muttered.

"Must you all do that?" Loki demanded. "Crush my fragile little hopes, why don't you?"

Martin snickered. "You're having fun, aren't you? You little prat."

Loki laughed. "Your little prat."

"And do I get nothing?" Angrboða demanded. "Or are you not mine, too?"

"I am yours, my lady," Loki said, his voice firm. He leaned in and kissed her, and Martin heard a rumble from the watching Jotuns. "I am yours, and you are mine."

"And we are all together," Tony quipped.

"Goo goo g'joob." Loki turned and stared at John, who shook his head and smiled. "Sorry."

"Do I want to know?" Loki asked. "No, actually. No. I don't. Not right now." He took a deep breath and walked out in front of the group.

"Where is Fengr?" he shouted. "Where is the _nithing_?"

"I am here." Fengr came out of the crowd. He stopped. "What is that?"

Loki looked down at the shield on his arm. "You're standing between me and everything I own. Since I have no shield, I am reliant on the charity of my friends."

"You have shields waiting, there." Fengr pointed to a pile of wooden shields on the ground.

Loki chuckled. "You think that I would trust anything that came from your hands?" he asked. Natasha brushed past him, going to one knee next to the pile of shields. She picked one up, studied it closely, then slammed it onto the ground. It shattered.

"These are all rotten," she declared.

"Who is this female?" Fengr demanded.

"My second," Loki answered. "Who will need functional shields. Unless you wish to forfeit?"

"Your second?" Fengr repeated. "Impossible. A female? A Midgardian female?"

Loki smiled. "Lady Natasha is one of Midgard's greatest champions. So pick your finest warrior."

Fengr turned, looked at Natasha, then snapped. "Hyndla. Come here." Another Jotun came out of the group and stood next to Fengr. He pointed at Natasha. "Beat her."

"Yes, sir." Hyndla leered at Natasha. She smiled and looked him up and down. He came closer, and her smile grew more feral.

The fight was over in under a minute. Hyndla grabbed at her, but Natasha moved, driving her foot into the side of his knee, hard enough that he howled and fell. He was back on his feet in a moment, favoring the leg, but Natasha didn't give him a moment to catch his breath. She struck again, three fast blows to the gut, the throat and under the chin that laid Hyndla out on his back. His companions came out of the crush and dragged him off, and Natasha looked up at Fengr and arched one eyebrow, her bored expression almost daring him to try something.

"Did I mention that she personally killed several Chitauri when they invaded Midgard?" Loki asked, his voice laughingly conversational. Fengr wheeled on him, then looked back at Natasha with a new, grudging respect.

"Lady Natasha," he murmured, and bowed slightly. "Are all Midgard women so gifted? It was not so when we ruled there."

"And there you have your answer," Natasha replied. "We're not ruled any more. By anyone." She glanced over at the _hólmgangustadr_. "Now. Where are those shields?"

"I fear that we do not have three more," Fengr answered.

"Oh," Natasha said. She smiled. "Then I guess you've lost. If you're not providing all the proper equipment, you forfeit. Correct?"

"I--"

"I don't usually like killing people," Natasha continued. "Not without a good reason. And you've given me a very good reason. So. Shields? Or should I give you a good running start?"

Fengr stepped back, then turned and shouted. "I need more shields! Find us three more shields."

"Two more," Loki called out. "I have one. And you're going to release your hostage now, also."

"The holmgang has not yet begun," Fengr snapped. He turned and looked around. "Shields!"

"I want to see him," Loki insisted.

"Another conquest for the _ergi_ prince?" Someone called. Loki coughed and looked towards where the voice was coming from. An Asgardian limped out of the crowd.

"Meili?" Thor said. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to see the _ergi_ prince and his _nithing_ Midgardian fall," Meili called out. He rested his hand on his sword. "Lord Fengr, I volunteer to be your second."

"Meili, you would turn your back on Asgard?" Odin asked.

"No, my lord King, I would not. I would remove from Asgard the shameful taint that has fouled it for far too long."

"You speak of my son." Odin's voice was low, dangerous.

"I speak the truth! And I challenge anyone to prove me wrong."

"I'm about to do just that," Loki snarled. "To think, if I'd seen back then that your thoughts are as foul as your face beautiful, I'd be a happier man today."

Meili surged forward, but Fengr stopped him. "Peace, Meili. You'll have your chance."

"Only if I don't get him first," Martin muttered.

"You're going to let me help, right?" Tony asked. Martin nodded.

"Enough of this," Loki snapped. "Where is the hostage? Where is Jim?"

There was muttering, and Jim was pushed forward, out of the crowd. His arms were pulled behind him, and there were ropes around his upper arms and chest.

"What the hell? Why is he tied up?" John demanded.

"The thrall attempted to escape," Fengr said. "He's very spirited for one so small. We will release him after the fight."

"You said once the fighting had started," Loki said.

"That was before he did damage to two of my men."

"Don't worry about me. I'm all right," Jim called out. "And you tie a better knot, Johnny."

"They haven't hurt you?" Loki asked.

"Nothing permanent," Jim answered. "I'm fine. How's Angrboða?"

"My _wife_ is fine, thank you," Loki answered. Jim laughed out loud as Fengr gaped at them.

"I missed the wedding? Damn it!"

"We'll have the state wedding later," Loki said. "And you, of course, will be invited."

"So long as I get to kiss the bridegroom."

Loki started to turn, then stopped and looked at Jim. "Stop that." He turned to Angrboða. "Kiss for luck?"

She took his face between her hands and kissed him soundly. "Be safe, husband," she said, loud enough that no one could miss her words. Fengr's face darkened, and he turned and stalked away.

"Good," Sherlock murmured. "Very good. Make him angry."

Loki nodded. "Oh, trust me. I can sting him like one of your bees. Someone help me take my boots off? I should have done it in the observatory."

"Barefoot to fight?" Martin asked.

"Better grip on the hides," Thor answered.

Steve came up and knelt down, helping draw off one of Loki's boots while Loki leaned against Thor for support. "Be careful with the shield," Steve said quietly. "You were there when I fought Thor. Did you see much?"

"There were trees in the way for most of it. But I did see a good many trees fall down."

"The metal absorbs kinetic energy," Steve said in the same soft tones. "No matter how hard you hit it, it won't break. Actually, hitting it makes it stronger." He pulled the other boot off, then stood up.

"Oh." Loki looked down at the shield. "So the only way he can win is if he gets through my guard."

"Right."

"That's..." Loki stopped, shaking his head. "I suppose it's cheating."

"So is giving you a rotten shield," Natasha said, coming to stand by his side. "And putting sand on your side of the hide so you slip. I don't know what else he's done to stack the deck in his favor."

"Then I think we go with it," Steve said. "Take him down."

"Red letter day," Tony murmured. "The Capcicle is down with cheating!"

Loki looked over his shoulder at Tony, then shook his head. "You make no sense sometimes, Tony."

"Yeah, well, I'm decorative."

"Loki!" Fengr shouted. "It is time to die!"

Loki took a deep breath, looked around. His eyes met Martin's. "Do I get a kiss from you?" he asked softly.

"If you want one."

"Always."

Martin brushed past Steve and cupped Loki's face, kissing him gently, then studying his face close up. How tired he was, and how vainly he was trying to hide it. "Do it fast, love," Martin murmured. "Before you make stupid mistakes because you're exhausted."

Loki's lips twitched. "I haven't slept in two days. Nor eaten, come to think of it."

"Two..." Martin looked around to see John's blurry figure nearby. "John told me two hours!"

"John was on the TARDIS. It was two hours for him. For us, it was a day and a half of dodging Chitauri and hiding before Angrboða could get us out of Jotunheim and back to Midgard. Then assembling the Midgard troops and dealing with General Fury and... I was worried about you. I couldn't sleep because I knew what they could do to you. What they did to me. Every time I closed my eyes..." he stopped, and rested his forehead against Martin's. "I was afraid I'd lost you."

"Hey now, none of that. You have a battle to fight. And then a nap to take, or all Angrboða get's tonight is you snoring at her."

"I snore?" Loki asked.

"Well..." Martin grinned, and Loki laughed, then stepped back.

"I'm fine. One more fight. I can do this. For my mother, and for all of you." He looked at Natasha, nodded, then started towards the hides. "I am ready, Fengr!"

#

Martin stood back from the edge of the hide and fretted, watching the back and forth savagery. Loki shattered one of Fengr's shields on his first strike, but the second shield took two tries, and the third took four. Fengr's blows on Steve's shield were absorbed, but none of them had taken into account the stress on Loki's broken hand, or how much pain he would be in by the time this was over. There was another resounding clang as Fengr struck Loki's shield, and Martin felt Angrboða shudder next to him.

"How is he?" he asked.

"He's hurting. It's starting to show in his face. Natasha is trying to protect his shield arm, but I think Fengr's realized something is not right."

"He needs to end this soon, before he lets his guard down," Martin muttered.

Apparently, Loki thought so, too. He went for an overhand strike which proved to be a feint -- when Fengr moved to block, Loki changed directions and slashed across Fengr's unprotected midsection. Fengr gasped, and blood splattered across the hides.

Loki stepped back, breathing hard. "You've lost," he panted. "You've lost, Fengr. My mother is avenged. Almost." He pointed his blood-streaked sword towards the edge of the Bifrost. "After you."

Fengr turned away. "Do not think that this ends it. You have won nothing!"

"I'll see my mother's murderer walk off the end of the Bifrost," Loki answered. "That seems like a good start."

Fengr laughed. "What a young fool you are," he said. Then he raised his voice. "Kill them all!"

Martin heard the twang, followed by whistling, and reacted, grabbing Angrboða and pulling her close as he wrapped them both in shields. He felt the arrows thumping, heard them fall. Heard a closer bow string, and knew that Clint was returning fire. Repulsors whined, and he heard the Hulk roar.

"Fall back!" John shouted.

"No! The observatory isn't defensible!" Odin called out. "Mages!"

"I can't see to attack," Martin said, letting Angrboða go. "I'll shield us. You and the twins attack. Where's Loki?"

"Fighting," Angrboða answered. "Are you ready?"

Martin opened his shields and felt the twins fall in next to him. Behind him, he felt Sherlock and John. "Anyone else?" he asked. When no one answered, he sealed the shields and listened. From somewhere up ahead of him, Jotuns had started screaming.

"They weren't expecting the Hulk," John murmured.

"Why are you in here?"

"Because I only have one bullet left."

"Good reason," Martin said. He blinked, squinting. "What's happening? Where's Jim?"

"They dragged him back when they started shooting," Sherlock said. "I can't see him any more."

Martin grimaced, wincing as more arrows hit his shields. There was more screaming, then Angrboða yelped. "Martin!"

He saw the fast movement coming towards them, and pushed as hard as he could. The attacker flew backward, skidded on the ground, and screamed. The scream faded slowly, and Martin felt sick.

"He... he fell?" he asked.

"Yes. It was that Meili again." Sherlock rested his hand on Martin's shoulder. "Forget him. We need to back up. The line is getting closer."

"Guide me, will you?" Martin walked backward slowly, letting Sherlock lead him, wondering where the hell the other Asgardian's were. Were there Jotuns attacking the rest of the city? No way to find out without splitting his focus, and his shields would suffer if he did that.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Martin was about to ask what was happening when Angrboða gasped. "Drop the shields," she ordered. "Drop them!"

Martin did as she said, following her forward until he could just make out Fengr. He was standing near the edge of the Bifrost, both arms held up. From one hand, struggling and cursing, dangled Jim. From the other, limp and unmoving, hung Loki, Steve's shield still strapped to his arm.

Fengr laughed. "Sentimental fool. Risking his life for the poor little thrall. Now they both die--"

"Wait!" Martin shouted. "Wait. Let them go."

"Or what, little Midgard mage? If you try anything, I'll throw both of them over the edge. Then you'll join them. You and these other worms of Midgard. I might keep your woman, and the seer-child, though. And Angrboða. She will be mine."

"Never," Angrboða whispered.

Behind him, Martin heard John curse softly, then say, "Sherlock? There's something I never told you."

"Is now the time?" Sherlock demanded.

"Yes. And I am so sorry." John stepped forward. "Jim? Stop fighting, love."

Jim went still. "Johnny?"

"Jim," John's voice cracked. "Remember... .when the Doctor took us off? Each of us? And talked to us? Remember that? He told me... he told me that I was going to have to make a choice. The fate of the world... or the fate of one person." His voice broke, and Martin turned to see John fighting back tears.

"I... I understand, Johnny," Jim called. "And... I forgive you. Save the world."

"Thank you." John's voice was drowned out by the roar of gunfire. Fengr jerked, falling backward.

"No!" Martin reached out with both hands, grabbing with his magic. He caught Loki as Fengr fell over the edge. But his other hand came back empty.

"Jim!" Sherlock ran toward the edge, staring over. "He... he's gone."

Odin joined him. "Come away from the edge, Sherlock," he said, taking Sherlock's arm.

"Fengr--"

"Will fall for all eternity."

"Is hanging on the edge."

"What?" Odin gasped. He looked over the edge. "Why, so he is."

"Bring him up," Sherlock said, turning away.

From where he knelt next to a still-unconscious Loki, John looked up. "Sherlock?" he asked. "What?"

"Bring him up so I can kill him myself!" Sherlock snarled.

"... what?" Loki mumbled. He turned, resting on his now bare left arm. He winced and shook his head. "What?" He sat up and looked around. "What hit me?"

"Fengr, we think," Angrboða answered. "Loki, Jim is lost."

'What? Jim... no... no!" He looked around again. "Not Jim. What... what happened?"

In a soft voice, Angrboða told him, tears trailing down her face. Loki watched her, his eyes wide, until her voice trailed off. "And... Fengr is down there?"

"Yes," Sherlock answered, looking over the edge. "He's still there."

"Then let's have him up," Loki growled. He got to his feet, tottering a little until Martin steadied him. He nodded once, then held out his right hand and raised it. Fengr floated into view, hovered over the Bifrost, then was set onto his feet.

"Well, Fengr?" Loki said, his voice harsh and quiet. "Your life is forfeit. But by our shared blood, I will grant you the boon of mercy. Shall I kill you now?"

"I take nothing from you!" Fengr growled. He spat onto the ground in front of Loki, who looked down, then shook his head.

"So be it. John? Sherlock?" Loki asked, getting to his feet. "What do you think? I'll defer to you. Shall I kill him straight off? Or just push him over the edge?"

"If you push him, what happens?" John asked, his voice thick.

"He falls forever," Odin answered. "Unless someone plucks him out of the skies the way the Chitauri did to Loki."

John licked his lips and looked up at Sherlock. Then he nodded.

"You can push him," Sherlock said. "Let him know what it is that he did to Jim."

"As you wish," Loki agreed. He raised one hand and made a pushing motion, and Martin heard Fengr scream. The sound faded away to nothing, and Loki turned away. But before Martin saw the shining trails on his face.

"Let's go back," he said quietly, putting his arm around Angrboða. "I may very well have a civil war on my hands, and I really want to get some sleep first."


	37. Chapter 37

Martin didn't realize how far he'd walked to get to the observatory until he had to walk back. It was, he thought, very much liked walking with an army of zombies. Everyone was exhausted, footsteps leaden as they trudged back towards Asgard. Even Tony walked, catching up with them about ten minutes after they set out.

"I went as far as I could, and still have the Bifrost in scanner range so I could get back," he said as he landed. "I couldn't find him. I'm sorry." 

John nodded and murmured almost inaudible thanks, while Sherlock said nothing at all. That was the worst of it. Sherlock walked in front of them all, head bowed, arms wrapped around himself, a funeral procession of one. John trailed the group, limping badly, refusing any support or help. After a moments silent conference, Byleist had gone up to follow Sherlock, walking a few feet behind him. Helblindi was with John, several feet to one side. There was a look on his face of impressed wonder -- John had cursed him out roundly, and with all the skill of a modern soldier, for refusing to move away.

"Is he hurt?" Thor asked, looking back at John. "He didn't limp like that before."

"No," Martin answered. "It's... look, I don't have the brains to explain psychosomatic right now. Ask me again later."

"It's a phantom injury," Loki said, his voice quiet. Now that the fight was over, it was clear that his energy was completely gone. He stumbled more than once as they walked, until Angrboða insisted that he put his arm over her shoulders. Even then, his face was drawn with pain and exhaustion. "Remember... oh, what was his name? The _Úlfheðinn_ that told the warstories when we were boys?"

"Hrolf?" Odin answered.

"Yes, him. Remember, Thor? He would limp? But never when he fought." Loki stopped, looked down the road, and sighed, taking his arm from around Angrboða. "Was it this far when we came out this way?"

"It hasn't grown," Thor answered. "We'll be there soon."

Ahead of them, Sherlock stopped. He straightened, and turned, striding back toward them, nearly pushing Byleist down as he headed straight for Angrboða. He didn't slow until he was right in front of her, grabbing her by the upper arms, startling her into a squeak. Loki stepped forward, his hand raised, but before he could do anything, Sherlock spoke.

"Lost, you said. Lost. Not dead. You don't think he's dead," Sherlock said quickly. "You think he's still alive. Why?"

"I survived," Loki answered. "But Humans and Asgardians are different. We don't know if--"

"But there's a chance!" Sherlock demanded. He let Angrboða go, looked around until he saw Tony. "You can go back out there. You can find him, bring him back."

Tony nodded slowly. "I'd need... a homing beacon. Something so that I didn't lose the Bifrost. Maybe the Doctor has what I'd need. But yeah, I'll go back out. I'll try again."

"Maybe... maybe Heimdel can help? Maybe he can give you... a direction? And if Tony can't find him, then maybe Grandfather can," Martin added. "I mean, if there's any kind of chance, we can't let it go."

"Sherlock, whatever hopes there are that Jim survived the fall, they are very small. And growing smaller the longer he is out there," Odin said, his voice gentle. "Loki fell into a wormhole created by the destruction of the Bifrost. Jim is in space. He will soon pass out of the influence of the Bifrost, and he will die."

"No," Sherlock said. "No, because we are going to find him." He turned again and stalked off, towards Asgard. Martin watched him, then turned to see that John was standing next to him.

"He's never going to accept it," John said softly. "And he's never going to forgive me." He looked down, then back at Martin. "And I am never going to forgive you."

Martin choked, feeling as if he'd been slapped. "John--"

But John was already moving, limping after Sherlock. Odin followed them, as did Natasha, and the other Avengers trailed after her, leaving Martin standing with Loki, Angrboða and Thor.

"It wasn't your fault, Martin," Angrboða said softly. "You tried."

"That doesn't change the fact that I missed," Martin said. He looked at Loki. "All this power. And again, I couldn't save him."

Loki closed his eyes and sighed. "And now another stone joins Alexander's in the graveyard. I wish I could take the burden from you, Martin. Because it was not your fault. I should have just killed him."

"I don't know that it was anyone's fault," Martin said slowly. "And you've got your own burden to carry."

"True. Will they survive this?" Loki asked, nodding in the direction the others had gone. 

"I honestly don't know," Martin answered. "And I don't know what Liv is going to say when I tell her. Let's go. We're almost there, right?"

"We're almost there," Thor assured him. He looked up. "They've stopped again."

They started walking again, and when they caught up with the group, they saw why they had stopped. The Doctor was waiting for them.

"Grandfather, we can still save him. There's still time!" Sherlock was insisting. The Doctor looked at him, then looked down.

"No. No, there isn't," he said. "I'm sorry, Sherlock. I wish this could have been different. But this... all of this... was a fixed point. We cannot change any of it."

"Why can't it be different?" John asked. "Why can't you go find him? Loki survived the fall into the void."

"Loki is Asgardian," the Doctor said. "A race that, for all practical purposes, might as well be considered gods. Jim is human."

"And you're just going to give up," Sherlock said. "You're not even going to try. You're... you're not even going to bring him home."

"That I will do," the Doctor said quickly. "I promise you, Sherlock, no matter how long it takes, I will find him. And I will bring him home."

"Why?" John asked, his voice thick. "Tell me why. Why couldn't we save both of them?"

"I told you. The fate of the world--"

"I know that! That wasn't what I asked!" John snapped. 

The Doctor drew himself up, walking over to loom over John. "Jim Moran. James Moriarty. Do you know what would have happened if you had refused to shoot Fengr? If you had chosen that one life?" He looked down, then back up, meeting John's eyes, then Sherlock's. "He would have died anyway. Fengr would still have thrown him over the edge of the Bifrost. He'd have done the same to Loki. Then he'd have led his forces and slaughtered all of you. Well, not all..." He glanced at Angrboða. 

"And that would have left Earth with no defenders," Thor said. 

The Doctor nodded, looking grim. "By the end of the day after tomorrow, he'd have ruled Asgard. By this time next year, Earth would have been a frozen husk. What humans survived would have existed as slaves. So tell me, John Watson, is that what Jim would have wanted? Or would he have wanted you to have your happily ever after?"

John's face went white. "How did you know that?" he whispered. "How... how could you know that?"

Sherlock came up behind John and put his hand on John's shoulder. "John?"

John reached up and covered Sherlock's hand with his own. "I'm sorry, love. It was... a conversation we had. Late one night. You were asleep. He told me... that he didn't expect to grow old. And that he'd happily die for us, to make sure that we had a happily ever after."

"We're not a fairy tale, John."

"No, we're not. We're real. If it was a fairy tale, we could wish him back. But we're not. We're real. And in real life, people die," John paused. "We made him part of us, and that part is always going to be missing." John looked up, tears in his eyes. "Christ, what are we going to tell Mrs. Hudson?"

"Or Angelo?" Sherlock asked. He looked up and away. "Bring him home, Grandfather."

"I will." The Doctor was quiet as they watched Sherlock and John walk away. The twins looked at Loki, who nodded. Then they followed after them.

"How did you know?" Martin asked. "About that conversation?"

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Did they tell you about what we found, on that ship?" he asked. "About how we found Jim?"

"Just... Jim said that they'd given him my old room. They tortured him?" Loki asked.

"They used a Traitor's Bit on him," the Doctor said. "You know what that is?"

Loki nodded slowly. "They showed it to me. Would have used it, if they could have gotten past the spells on the gag that was put on me here. They used that on Jim? But--"

"Right. It should have killed him. Except I saved him. And for a very brief moment, we were linked."

"Have to admit, I'm going to miss him," Tony said quietly.

"We all are," Martin said. "I... I need to go tell Liv."

"Oh, right!" The Doctor clapped his hands and grinned. "That was the other reason I came down here looking for you. Livvy needs you."

Martin blinked, confused. Then realized _why_ Livvy would need him. "Now? Right now?"

"Right now."

"Oh my god," Martin breathed. "Oh, my god." He found himself grinning wildly, saw his expression mirrored in Loki's face. Someone was pounding on his back, and he barely registered Natasha congratulating him. "I'm going. I'm going. Oh... where the hell am I going?"

"I'll take you," Thor volunteered. 

"Thanks. I... umm..." He dragged his fingers through his hair, giggled. "Umm... Loki?"

Loki smiled and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I know. Go get cleaned up. Then be with your wife," Loki said. "I'll come and see you later. Thor, find him a clean tunic! He can't go like this."

"I'll take him to your rooms. Then to the Halls of Healing." Thor draped his arm over Martin's shoulders. "Come on."

"You also needn't rush," Odin said. "Twins take time."

The Doctor grinned. "No, he needs to go. Now."

Martin turned and stared at him, eyes wide. "How... how long has she been in labor?"

The Doctor grinned wider. "Might want to run."

#

Martin stopped outside the door to the Hall of Healing and took a deep breath, trying to slow his heart. He'd been panting by the time they'd reached Loki's surprisingly untouched rooms, and he'd finally gotten a good look at himself while Thor found clean clothes for him. Washing had removed the blood, but not the bruises -- his face was parti-colored, and he wasn't going to want to take his shirt off in front of anyone for a while. But, at least he could see the damage. That was better than the alternative.

Now, washed and dressed, if a little rumpled, he let himself into the Hall and looked around. There was no one there, so he walked in a little further. And heard Frigga's voice. He followed the sound, and knocked on a partially-open door before looking in.

"Papa!" Violet crowed. She ran to him, only to stop and stare. "Papa, you got hurt!"

"Yes, Poppet. I did. But I'll be fine." Martin knelt down and opened his arms, hugging his daughter tightly. "I'm fine. And I'm here." He looked up at Frigga. "How's Liv? And where's Caval?"

"Olivia is doing well. Wanting you with her. I think she'll progress faster now that you're here. Eir and Fulla are with her now. And Caval is with Ganglari's lady at the moment, I think."

Martin nodded, letting Violet go and standing up. "May I talk to you?" he asked.

Frigga nodded, and called with turning, "Gna?"

A woman came into the room. "Yes, my Queen?"

"Would you take Violet to the kitchens? I think there might be a honeycake for her there." She smiled and waited until Gna and Violet were gone, then took Martin's arm, leading him off to one side. "Yes?"

Martin let out a long breath, then blurted, "Jim died out there. I... I don't know how to tell her!"

"Oh," Frigga murmured. "Sherlock and John? Are they all right?"

"I... I'm not sure. They went off alone. Well, not really alone. Byleist and Helblindi were following them. But Sherlock probably tried to lose them as soon as they got into Asgard." Martin looked down. "I... I missed."

"You missed?"

"It's... complicated. But Fengr was going to throw Jim and Loki into the void. John shot him. I caught Loki, but..."

"I see," Frigga said. She reached out and took Martin's face in her hands. "She'll forgive you. And you must forgive yourself, my son."

"I don't know if I can," Martin said. "I... I should have... I could have..." He didn't fight as Frigga pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly as he cried.

"My boy, my poor child. You've seen so much," she murmured as he sniffed and pulled away slightly. "And... you're no warrior among your people, are you?"

"No," Martin admitted, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "I... I'm a pilot. A civilian. With an absolutely deplorable amount of combat experience!"

Frigga gestured to a couch, and sat down next to Martin. "And that makes it all the worse, doesn't it? You should not be in these situations, and yet you are. And you do the best you can. Tell me, Martin. If you had been a warrior, had the training that my other sons have, would you have done anything different?"

Martin frowned. "I... I don't... wait. Your _other_ sons?"

"Odin told me," Frigga answered. "Before he went out to find you. I wish he'd told me sooner -- I'd have insisted he bring you here."

Martin shook his head. "Then I'd have missed the best part of my life -- Liv and my children. Which, I should get in there, or I'll miss my sons."

"You want to go in?" Frigga asked. She sounded shocked.

Martin looked at her, then grinned. "You... don't do that here? Have the father in when the baby is born?"

"No."

"I caught Violet when she was born. And cut the cord."

Frigga laughed. "Did you really? How novel! You haven't answered me, Martin."

Martin frowned, then shook his head. "I don't know. And... I don't think it would have changed anything. I mean... John is a soldier. I can't see him changing anything of what he did. Of what he had to do. We do what we can, with what we've got. And we live with the consequences."

"More importantly, we don't let ourselves be ruled by the consequences," Frigga said. "Now, shall we go in?"

Martin nodded and stood up, holding his hand out to Frigga. "Thank you."

She rose and took his hand. "You're very welcome, my son."

Frigga led Martin down a short hall and into another room, one that was bright and airy. Curtains billowed in a slight breeze, and Martin could see Livvy, sitting outside on a terrace. There were two women with her, and one of them came inside when she noticed them.

"My Queen, she wanted to walk outside for a time," she said, then looked at Martin. "Are you Lord Martin?"

"Just Martin, please. And yes. How is she?"

"Doing very well. Her pains are close together, and she tells us that she thinks it will be soon."

Martin nodded. "I'd like to see her."

"This way, my lord."

She held the curtain out off the way and let Martin out onto the terrace. Livvy was sitting with her head tipped up, her eyes closed. She smiled slightly as he came closer.

"I was wondering if I still had a husband."

"You almost didn't," Martin said softly. She turned and looked at him, and her eyes widened.

"How badly were you hurt?" she demanded. "Violet said that you said you were all right."

"I'm better than I was," Martin said. He went to his knees next to her chair and took her hands. "Darling, I'll tell you everything later--"

"We'll be busy later. You'll tell me everything now. And start with why you're squinting. You never squint."

"That's where it starts. It's been three days for me, darling." He took a deep breath and started talking, telling her everything. At the same time, he followed her cues, helping her stand and walk as she needed, letting her lean against him through contractions, holding her and swaying gently when she wanted to move.

"... so that's all of it. Willow is gone off to be a goddess, somewhere out of human space. She took the Chitauri with her. Jim is gone, maybe dead. Probably dead. Fárbauti is dead. Loki is king now. And he's married Angrboða. And I'll need to be fitted with glasses when we get home."

Livvy was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "Jimmy never was happy. Not since Sebastian died. He loved Daddy and Uncle John. But he never was... happy. Not the way he was with Baz."

"I wish I'd the chance to know him then."

"No, actually, you don't. You really don't," Livvy said quickly. "He was... there was a reason he took to Loki so readily."

"Because there were very much alike."

"Yes." Livvy leaned her head against Martin's shoulder. "And... you're Odin's son."

"That one was a bit of a shock."

"What does that mean?"

Martin blinked. "I... I'm not sure."

"We need to ask. We should know what to expect, especially for the children." Livvy paused for a moment, then looked up. "I think we should go in now."

"I love you, Liv."

"I love you, too."

#

It was dark when Martin asked Frigga to send for the others -- Sherlock and John, Loki and Angrboða, Thor and Odin, the Doctor and River Song. 

"Martin and Olivia want you all to meet their sons," was the message. And they came, filin, silently into the room. Martin looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms and smiled, then stood up and carefully passed the baby over to Sherlock.

"This is the older one," he said, brushing back dark, wispy curls. "His name is James Sebastian."

Sherlock looked up sharply, then back down, smiling as the baby yawned. "Welcome to the world, James Sebastian Crieff. And I got to hold you before your other grandfather," he said softly. 

"James Sebastian?" John repeated. He glanced at the Doctor, who smiled and nodded. "Good name. He's... he'll go places, this one."

Martin glanced over as the Doctor muffled a laugh. Then he went and took the other baby from Livvy, then went toward Loki, who stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. 

"Martin, I don't know anything about holding babies," he said.

"You're going to have to learn sometime." Martin nodded toward the chair. "Sit, and I'll help you." 

Loki sat down, and a few minutes later was cradling the other twin. "He's got red hair, this one," Loki said. "Look at him, he's so tiny!"

"His name is Luke Douglas," Martin said. Loki looked up, clearly shocked, then looked back down.

"You named him for me?" He grinned broadly and touched his namesake's nose. "Well, let's see what mischief you get up to, hm? He's beautiful, Martin."

"They both are," Frigga said. "Beautiful boys."

"Beautiful grandsons, " Odin said proudly, coming to look at the baby. He rested one hand on Loki's shoulder. "I'm going to say this now, Loki. I am sorry. If I'd told you the truth about yourself, about what I knew and what I suspected, then perhaps we could have avoided all of this. But regardless of what has happened, you are still my son. And I am very proud of the man you've become."

The smile faded from Loki's face, and he didn't look up. He took a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Martin reached out and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Martin!" Loki gasped. "What was that for?"

"To keep you from fucking this up," Martin said. "Listen. Don't blow off the apology. I'm willing to bet he doesn't apologize often." He glanced over at Frigga. "Does he?"

"No," Frigga answered, looking amused.

"So, take it for what it's worth. And... honestly, if the man I thought was my Dad came out and gave me that apology... well, it might take me a day or two to think it through, but I would. Because he was my dad. Even thought he treated me like... like garbage most of the time, he was my dad. I loved him. Never understood him, but I loved him." Martin sniffed slightly. "Still do."

"Even after all that?" Odin asked.

"Yeah, even after all that," Martin answered. "I loved Simon, too. Right up until the end. Until he tried to kill Liv. So what does that say about me, hm?

"It says you've a generous heart, Martin," Frigga said. "And that you're a son to be proud of. If the man you called Father couldn't tell that, it was his loss."

"The man who would like it if you called him Father is proud of you."

Martin met Odin's eyes, then smiled slightly. "That's going to take me a bit. To get used to it, and... to build the relationship."

"We have time."


	38. Chapter 38

"... I've had these prepared for you. These will be your rooms," Frigga said. "When you come to Asgard. There is another room, through there, for the children."

Martin looked around and smiled, watching as Caval went off to sniff in the corners. "Thank you, Frigga."

"And if you want to change anything, just ring the bell and let the servants know."

"I doubt we'll change anything, but I'll tell Liv. When will... what was her name? The midwife?"

"Fulla?"

"Yes, of course. When will she let Liv out of bed?"

"Tomorrow, I should think. I'll arrange for cradles to be moved in here for the boys." Frigga smiled and looked around. "It will be good to have children in the palace again. For as long as you're here."

"Don't send us away just yet!" Martin said with a laugh. 

"If I could, I'd have you stay," Frigga said. "But I know you have a life, and family, back in Midgard. Now, Violet is with her mother, and I don't think she'll want to leave, so I'll leave you to get some rest. I'll have some clean clothes sent in, so that you can change."

"Thank you," Martin said. "For everything."

Once she was gone, Martin hunted around and found a bathroom. Bathing chamber was more like it, actually. The bath was a deep pool, gently steaming in the cooler night air, and too tempting to resist. Martin stripped off his borrowed clothes and slipped into the hot water, dunking himself underneath, then clawing wet hair out of his face. Haircut. Need a haircut, he thought as he looked around for soap. To his surprise, there was a tray with a decanter and a goblet sitting next to the pool. A sniff identified the contents as wine, and he poured a glass before settling in to relax. The hot water made his bruises hurt, but it still felt good.

He was on his second glass of wine when he heard someone calling his name. He frowned, then recognized the voice. "In here, Tony!" he called. "I'm in the bath."

A moment later, Tony peered in around the door. "So you are," he said. "Wow. That's a big bathtub."

"Is it as big as the one in your place in London?" Martin asked. "I think it might be."

"In the house in London I don't have a tub this size. I have a pool." He sat down at the edge of the pool, resting his elbow on his knee. "I went out again."

"And?" Martin asked, sitting up slightly.

"And nothing. I couldn't find anything. Except the edge of... what did Odin call it? The influence of the Bifrost. I found where the air runs out." He shrugged. "Found Fengr. He's dead as yesterday's news. So... nope. Nothing. I told John." He reached out and took the decanter of wine, drank straight from it. "How are you doing, Flyboy?"

"Two glasses of wine in me," Martin answered. "I'm in a little pain, but not as much as before. The... the relief is setting in. It's all over. It's done. No one is going to try to kill me ever again. And I have two gorgeous little boys--"

"Wait, what?" Tony started laughing. "You didn't tell us!"

"We introduced them to the family tonight. Tomorrow, we were going to introduce them to everyone else," Martin said. He tipped his head back against the pool. "James Sebastian and Luke Douglas."

Tony was quiet for a moment. "Wow. He really did get under your skin, didn't he?" Martin looked up to see Tony watching him. "I'm just saying," he continued. "I mean, we were fun together, but I can't see you ever naming one of your kids Tony."

Martin sighed. "We were fun together. But... I don't know. I need more than fun. And... I don't think I can explain it, Tony. It's not the sex."

"Like you've had time for sex," Tony scoffed. "Now here's the thing," he said, shifting around to draw one knee to his chest. "When they finally reached Sussex, and they came out of the house, I thought he'd gone completely insane. Seriously, I thought we were back to what we faced in New York."

"It was that bad?" Martin asked. 

"Yeah. The only coherent words we got out him for hours was "They have Martin." He was wrecked. Angrboða was the one who told us what happened, and she was the one who drove getting us together and getting us back here. Because he was losing it." Tony looked down, then back up. "He vanished, right before we were supposed to leave. We had no idea where he'd gotten to. Caval found him, and.. I found Caval."

Martin frowned. "Where was he?"

"In the cemetery. He was in the cemetery. He was sitting by Alexander's headstone, and he was crying." Tony took another drink from the decanter. "I--"

"You know, there is another cup." Martin looked up to see Loki's blurred form in the doorway. He came closer and sat down next to Tony, reaching over and taking the decanter. He looked at it, shrugged, and drank. 

"What about that other cup?" Tony asked.

"This is faster."

"Now you know why I didn't bother."

Loki smiled slightly and nodded. "You were telling him about Sussex."

"I was wondering how he could have fallen so hard for you in... what? Two days?" Tony asked. "And feeling a little jealous."

"I fell in love with Liv about five minutes after I met her," Martin said. "Loki, baths are social here, aren't they?"

"Not usually, no. Do you want us to leave so you can get out?"

"Why? Both of you have seen me bare. No, I wanted to know if you wanted to join me. There's more than enough room."

Loki looked at the pool, then nodded. "I think a soak would be welcome."

"Wait a minute," Tony asked as Loki stood up and stripped off his shirt. "Not that I'm complaining, but don't you have a wedding night to get to?"

Loki grinned, folding his shirt. "No. Angrboða and I decided that, if we're going to make this a symbol, then we need to do it properly. Which means waiting for the full royal wedding in Jotunheim. To which you're both invited, I might add."

"Oh, Pepper will love that!" Martin teased. Tony laughed.

"She just might. I don't think we've done a royal wedding yet. When?"

"Angrboða hasn't told me yet," Loki answered. Martin started laughing. 

"You are going to be a wonderful husband," he said around giggles. "Now get in here." He looked at Tony, noticing the appreciative look he was giving Loki. "Coming, Tony?" he asked.

Tony just looked at him. "That's bad, Flyboy."

"You're the one staring."

Loki stopped, turning and looking at Tony. "Staring?"

"I can look. And Martin will break my fingers if I touch. Speaking of broken fingers, how's the hand?"

Loki held his hand up and flexed his fingers. "Still tender. But bones heal slowly, even with magic. I'll be fine in a day or two." He laid his trousers aside and slipped into the water. He sighed and settled in next to Martin, then looked over his shoulder. "Wine?"

Tony handed over the decanter, then got up. "I'm going to go get some sleep."

"You don't sleep after a fight," Martin said slowly. "Tony, you don't have to leave."

"Yeah, I do. I'll see you in the morning. I think we -- the Avengers, I mean -- I think we're going back by the Bifrost after breakfast. So we'll come see the boys before we go."

"I'll hold you to that," Martin said. "And I'll see you at breakfast."

Tony nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. Loki watched him go, then turned to Martin. "He still cares for you."

"I know," Martin said. "And I still care for him. He'll always be my good friend. But he won't be back in my bed. And he knows that."

"Is that why he left? Because he knows I will?" Loki asked.

"He did say he was jealous, remember?" Martin pointed out. "Turn around, I'll rub your back." Loki turned, resting his arms against the edge of the pool. Martin moved in behind him and started a backrub, his hands kneading at the tense muscles in Loki's shoulders. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I'm not ready to be king," Loki muttered into his arms. "I... how stupid was I, to want to be king of Midgard? To think that they would allow me to have that prize? And now... I have what I've always wanted. I have a kingdom. And the idea... it terrifies me." He turned, sloshing water over the rim of the pool. "What kind of king will I be, Martin?"

Martin rested his hands on Loki's shoulders. "You'll be a good king. You know how. And you'll have Angrboða to help you. And your brothers--"

"Which I'm trying very hard not to think of you as a brother. Because that will put an end to anything we might start."

"I repeat my previous statement. Ick." Martin grinned. "You're not my brother. You're my Loki. I'll help you however I can." He slid his hands up Loki's neck and cupped his face. "Because I love you." 

Loki met his eyes, then sighed and relaxed, eyes closing as he moved into Martin's arms. "Keep telling me that, will you?"

"As often as it takes," Martin murmured. "So, stay in here and get drunk, or move to the bed?"

"Was there ever any question?"

#

Martin woke to find himself on the inside of the spoon. Loki was pressed against his back, his arm holding Martin tightly to his chest. He was snoring, ever so softly. Martin looked over his shoulder, smiled, and settled back down to go back to sleep. Only to hear a soft tapping at the door. Caval, lying at the foot of the bed, raised his head and whuffed.

"You expecting someone?" Martin whispered. He stretched and pulled the sheet up over himself and Loki, then softly called, "Come in."

The door opened and Angrboða came in. She came silently around the bed and smiled down at Martin. "I thought I'd find him here," she said quietly. 

"What time is it?" Martin asked. "Sit. We're hardly formal here."

Angrboða perched on the edge of the bed, then leaned down and kissed Martin lightly on the lips. He stared at her for a moment, then grinned. "What was that for?" he asked.

"You make him happy," Angrboða answered. "And that makes me happy. I'm glad you're in our lives, Martin."

"Thank you," Martin said. Behind him, Loki took a deeper breath, pulled Martin closer, then shuddered slightly and moved.

"'boða?" he muttered. "Martin?"

"Good morning, love," Martin said over his shoulder. "Sleep well?"

Loki sighed and stretched. "Yes, thank you. What time is it?"

"Time to eat," Angrboða answered. "If you're willing to get out of bed."

Loki chuckled, his arm tightening around Martin's waist. "I don't know. Would you be willing to crawl in with us?"

"Loki!" Martin gasped. "Scare her off, why don't you?" He looked over his shoulder to see Loki grinning wolfishly at him.

"Are you scared, Angrboða?" he asked.

"Oh, terrified," Angrboða answered, giggling. "Martin, I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Or hurt Loki. So why should I be afraid?"

Martin shifted onto his back so that he could see both of them. "You have a point. I just wasn't thinking that we'd start you off with a three-way. Or that Loki would want company for the first night."

"There is something to that," Angrboða said. "I don't think I want company the first night."

"Or the second. Or the third," Martin added. "Liv and I were married for months before we had someone else in our bed."

"You wouldn't mind?" Loki asked.

"I'd understand. And it doesn't mean that I would love you any less, Loki. We don't have to spend all our time in bed. I'd be happy just being with you. Being with you both as often as I can be." He looked from one to the other. "You know that the house in Sussex is your home, too, Loki."

"As often as I can. Which may not be as often as I like," Loki said, trailing his fingers over Martin's arm. "How much free time does a king have, anyway?"

"You'll have time to have privy council meetings with a trusted adviser," Angrboða said. Loki laughed and nodded. 

"Yes. Very privy meetings. With a very trusted adviser." He leaned down and kissed Martin, then flopped back down on the bed and groaned. "I should go. Eat with the others, and see the Avengers off to Midgard."

"They want to see the babies before they leave," Martin reminded him. "So I'll get up, too. Wash up, meet you in the corridor?"

"All right." Loki kissed him again, then got out of bed. He dressed quickly and left with Angrboða. Once they were gone, Martin got up and went into the bathroom to wash and dress.

He was just coming out of the bathroom when the bedroom door crashed open. Thor rushed in. "Martin!" he said, sounding breathless. "You have to come!"

"What? What is it?"

"Loki. He's been taken to the Ting."

Martin blinked, confused. "What?"

Tony came in behind Thor, his face grim. "Loki's been arrested, Flyboy."


	39. Chapter 39

Martin followed Thor and Tony into the corridor, Caval at his heels. "What happened? When he left here, he was fine. He was with Angrboða--"

"And she's still with him. She refused to leave him," Thor answered. He stopped and turned to face Martin. "You know that Loki was sentenced for his crimes against Midgard?"

"Eternal imprisonment and eternal silence. They're going to hold him to that?" Martin asked incredulously. "After all this? After he helped save all of you?"

"That remains to be seen," Odin said as he came towards them.

"And you can't stop this?" Martin asked.

"Is that the first question I'll get from every single one of you Midgardians?" he asked. "No, I cannot. I cannot overrule the Ting."

"Not that you haven't tried," Thor muttered. Odin glared at him.

"Wait... he was sentenced for his crimes against Midgard?" Martin asked. "Suppose... suppose Midgard forgives him?"

"Martin?" Tony asked. "What are you thinking?"

Martin turned, grabbing Tony's arm. "Tony, I need you to go back home. Get General Fury, and... and call Mycroft. Douglas knows where he is. Tell them what's happened, and tell them we need a full pardon. Immediately."

"Fury can't do that!" Tony protested. 

"No, but I think Mycroft can."

Tony looked skeptical. "Minor position in the government, you told me. How minor?"

"About as minor as your position in Stark Industries. Now go!"

"I'll take you to the Bifrost, tell Heimdel he needs to watch for you," Thor said. "Unless you want me to come with you?"

"That might actually help," Tony answered. "You can answer questions. I'd just be faking it. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Sooner, Tony," Martin said. He watched as Thor and Tony hurried away, then turned to Odin. "What's going to happen?"

"I'm not certain. I had not expected Forseti to act so. I anticipated that the Ting would convene, but I expected them to target me, not Loki."

"Why you?" Martin asked, falling in next to Odin as they started walking, hearing Caval behind him.

"Because, as Thor said, I attempted to overrule the Ting's decision."

"Oh," Martin murmured. "Wiping Loki's mind."

"You know about that?" Odin asked. 

"I got past the block," Martin answered. 

Odin looked at Martin and sniffed. "I wonder what we would have made of you with Freyja training your seithcraft," he said. "Come. You need to eat. There is nothing else we can do for now."

"Will we be able to see him? Martin asked.

"He's been taken to Glitnir," Odin answered, opening a door. "I'll find out more while you eat."

"Martin!" Steve got out of his chair as Martin came into the room. "You heard?"

Martin nodded, looking around. The remaining Avengers. Buffy. Where were the Doctor and River Song? "Thor and Tony came and got me," he answered. "And... I've sent them off home, for help. I... I think we can undo this."

"Undo this how?" Natasha asked. Martin sat down and uncovered a bowl. Some kind of porridge, so he helped himself. Unasked for, Natasha put some sliced meat on a plate and put it on the floor for Caval. Martin nodded his thanks and answered the question.

"Well, I'm hoping we might be able to get a pardon from the Earth government--"

"What?" Clint asked. "How?"

"Mycroft?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. There will probably have to be some kind of reparations made, but Loki was already talking about alliances. So I don't think that will be an issue. I just... I don't know."

"Don't know what?" John asked as he came into the room. He looked down, then squared his shoulders. "Martin, I--"

"Don't worry about it, John. I knew you didn't mean it," Martin said. "You were hurt, and angry. To be honest, so was I. I'm sorry I missed."

"Yeah. Yeah, well... I'm sorry, too. Now, what's wrong?"

"Loki was arrested this morning," Bruce said. "He went quietly, cooperated with everything. Angrboða went with him, so he isn't alone. Where's Sherlock?"

"With Liv and the babies," John answered. "We didn't sleep last night, either of us. So we've both already eaten."

"You're not the only one who didn't sleep last night," Steve said. "I think most of us sat up. I know I did. So, what did you name them?"

"James Sebastian and Luke Douglas," Martin answered, looking down at his bowl. He took a bite, then looked up to see Buffy looking seriously at him.

"We're not letting him go," she murmured, playing with her cross with one hand. "He's proven himself. He's one of us now."

"Now he just need to prove himself to them," Martin said. "Odin says we'll be going to someplace called Glitnir, wherever that is."

"Forseti's hall, and the seat of judgment. It isn't far." Martin got to his feet at the sound of Frigga's voice, saw Steve do the same. "Oh, do sit down, my sons," she said, coming into the room. "Eat. Martin, Olivia knows about what has happened. She wants to come to Glitnir with us."

"Will she be able to?" Martin asked. 

"I understand her concern, but I don't think she should," Frigga answered. "I've told her as much. And so has Sherlock. She wants to know when you can come see her."

Martin moved to get up, only to find himself being pushed back into his chair, Steve's hand on his right shoulder, Bruce's hand on his left. 

"You're going to eat," Steve said. "I remember you falling on your face in New York, and you've been using a lot more magic over the past few days." The look on his face showed clearly what he was thinking -- that Martin might very well have to use more magic before this was over. 

"I had a good night's sleep!" Martin protested.

"You had a noisy night, and I doubt you slept," Byleist grumbled as he came in, Helblindi a half-step behind him. "Which of you is the loud one?"

"We're in the next room," Helblindi added. "Where's Loki?"

Frigga rested her hand on Martin's shoulder. "You eat. I'll tell them." She left, taking the twins with her. A moment later, they heard Byleist's voice clearly through the closed door -- _They did_ what?!?

"I wonder if anyone thought of that," Bruce said. "Loki is the Jotun King now. And he's popular. They might go to war to keep him, even if he tells them no. And there are still a lot of Jotun warriors who are loyal to him left in Asgard."

"And not nearly enough Asgardian warriors," Buffy added. "I'm starting to regret sending the other Slayers home. We might need them."

"No, the girls needed to go home," Steve told her. "We can handle this.

"And beside, which side would they be fighting on?" Bruce asked. "This... who do we support? Who does Earth support?"

Martin turned back to his bowl. "I just hope Tony and Thor get back before anything dire happens and we have to make that choice," he muttered into his cereal. 

"Now where would the fun be in that?" Clint asked.

#

When Martin had finally eaten enough to satisfy Steve, he was allowed to leave the table. "Anyone want to come see the boys?" he asked. "I need to convince my wife that she needs to stay here. And I think she'll be less likely to argue with me in front of you lot."

"You're hiding behind us?" Natasha asked.

"Absolutely." Martin walked out into the corridor, and saw Frigga coming toward them. He smiled slightly, then realized she was alone. "Where are the twins?"

"Gone off to talk to their people," Frigga answered. "Which worries me. They're both very much like Loki at that age -- very quick to anger. And with everything that they've gone through over the past day, I'm worried that they might do something rash."

"I could talk to them," Steve offered. "If you think that would help?"

"I think that they might benefit from a strong male, especially one that they trust. I was looking for Ganglari, but I can't find him."

"I was wondering where he'd gotten off to," Martin said. "Is the TARDIS still here?"

"Yes, but he's not there. Nor is his lady." Frigga looked at Steve. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"My pleasure," Steve said. He looked over at Buffy. "Want to come with me?"

"Sure." Buffy fell in next to him, and Martin felt his jaw drop when she took Steve's hand. He bit his lip and said nothing until they were gone. 

"Okay... I know I can't see clearly anymore, but someone please tell me I saw what I think I saw?" he whispered. 

"You did," John whispered back. "The Super Soldier and the Slayer. I'm not sure if I should be frightened or not."

"He's going to like Scotland," Martin said. "Come on. Let's go tell Liv that she's staying here."

#

Livvy didn't like it. Martin could tell. But she didn't say anything at first, just looked down at the baby at her breast. 

"I don't want him to think I've turned my back on him," she finally said.

"Darling, you just had two babies. He's not going to expect you to be out of bed yet!" Martin sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll go. I'll be there for all of us. And if I have to--"

"Don't you dare start a war, Martin!"

Martin shook his head and huffed out a laugh. "Honestly, Liv? That's the last thing I want. No, I sent Tony and Thor back to Earth."

Livvy's eyes widened. "You sent them for Papa?" she asked. Then she frowned. "That... might just work. Will they be able to do it in time?"

"I hope so. I'll have to ask if there is a way we can stall the proceedings. Maybe... getting all the Avengers to testify on his behalf? Slowly?"

"Can we do that?" Bruce asked. "I don't know the legal system here. I didn't think there even was a legal system here after that whole duel. So what should we expect?" 

Sherlock was standing near the window, holding the other baby. He turned and leaned against the wall. "It's similar to our courts. There's a jury of twelve, and the facts as people understand them will be reported to them. They'll decide if Loki is to be outlawed or fined, or something else."

John looked up at his husband. "How do you know that?" he asked. "I can't imagine why you'd keep that sort of obscure fact--"

"I didn't. I asked Fulla." Sherlock smiled down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "I can be quite charming when I want to be."

"Daddy, will you go with them, or stay?" Livvy asked. Sherlock frowned, looked at John. 

"Things might go badly," John said. "I think we might want to look after the grandchildren. Speaking of, we're missing one. Where's Violet?"

"Sif offered to take her. I think she said something about teaching her to shoot?" Livvy answered.

"What?" Martin asked. 

"Archery," Sherlock said. "And there are worse people Violet could choose to emulate."

"True." Martin nodded, then smiled slightly. "Do I get to hold one of my sons?"

"Which one do you want?" Livvy asked. "James is finished. And Luke should be waking up for another round soon."

"Let me have James." Martin took the baby from Livvy and cradled him in the crook of his arm, looking down at the tiny features. "His hair is dark as yours, love."

"No guarantee it will stay that way." Livvy leaned back against the cushions and yawned. "You'll let me know what happens?"

"As soon as we get back." Martin leaned forward and kissed her. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Perfect sons? And an equally perfect daughter?"

Livvy smiled. "You had something to do with that."

"You had more."

The door opened. Martin turned, expecting to see Steve or Buffy. It was Odin.

"It's time. Has Ganglari been here?"

"Not that I've seen," Sherlock answered. "Why?"

"Because no one can find him."

#

They went by sleigh, with Odin riding alongside. Martin found that he couldn't look straight at Odin without getting dizzy -- there were just too many legs on the horse. So he looked down, where Caval was lying in his feet, and across the sleigh, to where Steve, Buffy and Bruce were sitting. 

"How are you at diplomacy?" he asked.

Steve shook his head. "Honestly? I'm a soldier, not a diplomat. I don't do much talking. That's Fury's job."

"Do you think they'll get here in time?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. How did the talk with Byleist and Helblindi go? And where are they?"

"They said they'd follow us," Steve answered. "And they agreed that if they do anything rash, it might end up badly for everyone, and especially for Loki. So they promised to behave. But... I don't know. Maybe I should have stayed with them?" He looked at Buffy. "They're just kids, really. And they're angry, and afraid."

"Kids who are as old as I am," Buffy pointed out. "Kids who are biologically older than you. They'll do all right."

"They don't have any guidance right now," Natasha said. "And there's something I bet we never thought anyone would say."

"What? Loki as a positive guiding influence on anyone?" Martin asked. Natasha nodded.

"He's proved himself," she said. "He's shown us all what he can be. What was that card, Martin?"

Martin frowned, then remembered the tarot reading. "The Emperor. Reversed, but reinforced by the Wheel of Fortune. He's definitely grown into the father figure. And... oh, how did I not see this? The Hermit!"

"What?" Buffy asked. "What about the Hermit?"

"The Doctor! The Hermit is _his_ card!" Martin frowned, thinking. "I wonder... I wish I had cards. I just... I've got the feeling that this is the convergence. The Hermit was involved in Loki's future. So I'll bet any of you dinner that the Doctor and River Song are already at... wherever we're going."

"You play at divination, too?" Odin asked, guiding his horse nearer to the sleigh. Martin looked up, trying to avoid looking at the horse.

"Yes. And I did a reading not long after we found Loki. Of course, we had no idea what it all meant then."

"Visions often are not clear until the events have passed." Odin nodded. "We're almost there. You can just see the roof of Glitnir now."

"Is that it?" Buffy asked. "Wow. Sparkly. Is that snow?"

"No. Silver."

"Silver. A silver roof?" Buffy repeated.

"And gold pillars," Odin added. "His father built the hall, and was always a bit... ostentatious. I suppose that comes with being called the Beautiful."

"Balder was his father?" Martin asked.

"You knew who I meant?"

"The name came down through our mythology, too. A little changed, but... so... the man who arrested Loki is... his nephew? Sort of?"

"Forseti has never acknowledged the relationship. In truth, I believe he resents Loki. He's also not fond of Thor. Or, for that matter, of me. He blames me for his father's death."

"Wonderful," Bruce groaned. "A hostile judge. How does he feel about Midgard?"

"His feelings do not matter. He will be fair in his dealings," Odin said, and rode off.

Martin looked around the sleigh, seeing the same skeptical looks on everyone's faces. 

"I wonder how he's going to react to me?" Martin asked wryly.

#

The sleigh stopped outside the glittering hall, and Martin jumped out, reaching out to grab Caval's collar when the dog tried to run off. He pulled Caval out of the way, and heard his name called: "Martin!" Turning, he saw Angrboða running towards him. She threw himself into his arms; he hugged her tightly, feeling her shaking.

"I don't understand," she said. "They won't tell me anything. When we got here, they took him away and said I couldn't go with him. He said he would be fine, but I don't understand why they're doing this?"

"It's all right," Martin said softly. "We'll get him back. It will be all right." 

"Come inside," Odin said. Martin kept his arm around Angrboða's shoulders as they followed him into the hall. It was a long walk, and ended in a large courtyard filled with benches. There was a fence separating the benches from an open area, and it was there that Odin led them.

"When they bring him out," he said, gesturing for them to sit. "They'll bring him here. He'll be on the other side of the fence. If they call you to state what you know, you must tell the truth as you understand it." He turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Martin asked, gesturing to Caval, who obediently sat at his feet.

"To see what I can learn," Odin answered without turning back.

The courtyard filled slowly, and there was soon a buzz of muffled conversation. Martin jumped when someone touched his shoulder, and turned to see Sif had come up behind him.

"Sorry we're late," she said, nodding over her shoulder to where Martin could just make out Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg. "Your daughter has a good eye."

"Thank you. And thanks for taking her this morning."

"You're welcome. I enjoyed it. Has there been any news?"

Martin shook his head. "Nothing. Odin went off to see, but he hasn't come back yet. And I don't know if Thor and Tony will get back in time."

"We saw Thor, not long ago. He looked annoyed, but we didn't get to talk to him. Olivia told us you had a plan," Fandral said. "What is the plan? Because there are an awful lot of Jotuns outside."

"Oh, no," Steve groaned. "Excuse me. I thought I'd calmed those two down." He got up and walked away, moving quickly. Buffy looked over her shoulder, then grimaced. 

"Go on," Martin said. "We won't start anything before you get back."

"Promise?" Buffy asked. She got up and went after Steve. 

"When did she adopt him?" Bruce asked.

"Yesterday. Before we left Sussex," Natasha answered. "You weren't there when Steve demanded to know why all these little girls were going into battle. And... Buffy put him on his ass." Clint started snickering. "Then she complimented him on his ass. I don't think I've ever seen Steve go that shade of red before."

"She did apologize, once someone explained to her about Steve. But I think she's intrigued by the idea of a man that she can't break by accident. And who can stand up to her in a fight?"

Martin nodded. "Considering that I've met her ex, you're probably on to something."

"Which one was that?" Bruce asked.

"Spike."

Bruce snorted. "The vampire? Buffy dated the vampire?"

"What's a vampire?" Fandral asked.

"Ah..." Martin frowned. "A Midgard demon. Inhabits the form of a dead human. Super strong, immortal, drinks blood--"

"An _aptrganga_?" Sif gasped. "You have those on Midgard?"

"You have them here?" Martin asked in response.

"I don't think so. Not any more," Volstagg answered. "Wiped out centuries ago. That would mean... is your Buffy a _Banamaðr_?"

"I don't know what that is," Martin answered. "Buffy is a Slayer. The Slayer, actually."

Volstagg nodded. "Same thing. That explains so much."

Sif was looking over her shoulder. "I hadn't realized that was what you meant by Slayer," she said. "I've heard tales about the _Banamaðr,_ but never thought I would meet one. Will she spar with me, do you think?"

"Ask her."

Sif grinned broadly. "I will."

Somewhere, a bell tolled. Martin sat up and looked around, saw that while he'd been distracted, benches inside the fence had been filled. Behind him, there was a commotion. 

"The Jotuns are here," Bruce said softly. "They're sitting in the back. Steven and Buffy are with them. And it looks like River Song is with them!"

"Where did she come from?" Martin asked. "That means that the Doctor is here, too!" He started to turn, and a familiar voice jolted him onto his feet.

"That seat taken?"

Martin stared, then stammered, "Greg?"

Still too pale, Greg Lestrade-Holmes smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Mind if I sit? I'm still not at my best."

"I... I... of course. What are you doing here?"

"No fucking idea, mate," Greg answered as he sat down on Angrboða's other side . "All I know is that the Doctor showed up this morning, told us it was important, and brought us here. He's been locked away with My for a couple of hours now, and I've been meeting a lot of people with names stranger than Sherlock. And blue people. That was interesting." He grinned at Angrboða, who smiled at him. "Greg Lestrade, Miss. I'm Olivia's step-father. One of them. River said you'd met her."

"You saw River?"

"She brought me out to sit with you. So what the hell is going on?"

Martin groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Have you seen Tony at all?"

"Tony Stark? Isn't that him?"

"There you are!" Tony called, coming up to the bench. He was out of armor, and looked harried. "Wait? Greg? When did you get here?"

"Couple of hours ago," Greg answered. "The Doctor came and got us."

"And we were hunting all over Earth for you two," Tony muttered. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket and touched a button. "Hey, Douglas. Stand down. I found them. On Asgard. Yes, I'm on Asgard. No, I don't know how it's working. What?" He stopped, looked at the mobile, then held it back to his ear. "Four bars. Don't ask. I'm not sure I want to know. Well... maybe I do. I'll tell him. Right." He put the mobile away. "Douglas says to tell you that he's going to wring your neck, and to tell you that he told you so, and that he's glad you're all right. And congratulations, he can't wait to see the boys."

"You... just called Douglas?" Martin asked weakly.

"Yes."

"How?" Bruce asked.

"The Doctor did something to my phone."

"When did you see him?" Martin asked.

"About ten minutes ago." Tony sat down behind Martin, smiled at Sif. "He came up, demanded my phone, did something to it, then handed it back and said I was going to need it. Then he disappeared again. How'd he know?"

Another bell sounded, and the courtyard fell silent. Martin looked back at Tony and mimed an eyepatch. Tony nodded, and Martin relaxed slightly.

A man walked out into the middle of the courtyard and raised his voice. "Bring him out!"

Another commotion behind them, and the sound of marching feet. Martin turned, seeing a wall of guards coming down the center aisle.

And Loki, walking before them, hands clasped in front off him, head bowed. It took until they were almost up to Martin's seat before he could see clearly enough to realize that the reason Loki's hands were clasped was that his wrists were chained. And only Angrboða's hand on his arm kept him in his seat. 

Loki passed through the fence, and was positioned just as Odin stated, right in front of Martin adn Angrboða. He looked back over his shoulder, eyes widening as he saw who was sitting there. Then he stepped back, leaning against the fence. Martin leaned forward and touched his back.

"You're all right?" he whispered. Loki nodded.

Angrboða touched Martin's arm, then rose and moved to the fence, resting her hand on Loki's arm. When he turned to face her, she leaned into him and kissed him. And was almost immediately pushed back by one of the guards.

"Don't touch her!" Martin snapped, getting to his feet. He looked at Angrboða, who nodded. Then they both stood behind Loki, each of them with a hand on his shoulder.

"What is this?" the man who had called for Loki to be brought out asked. "Who are you?"

Angrboða tossed her head. "I am Angrboða, daughter of Aurboda, of the royal house of Jotunheim. And I am King Loki's wife. I will stand with my husband." There was a rush of muffled conversation behind Martin, but he ignored them.

"I am Captain Sir Martin Crieff of Midgard." he announced. "And I stand with Loki, as my friend and as my battle-companion, and as my lover."

There was movement directly behind him. "I stand with Loki, too," Tony said, his voice clear. "I'm Tony Stark, of Midgard. People call me Ironman. And Loki saved my life. I'm standing with him."

All at once, the courtyard was filled with noise and movement. Martin turned around to see people rising, calling out their names, all of them shouting out variants of the phrase that Angrboða had started -- I stand with Loki -- until the only person Martin could see still sitting was Greg. Loki turned to face the crowd, staring in slack-jawed wonder.

"Did you do this?" he asked, his voice just barely audible over the other voices.

"No, love. You did." Martin reached out and tucked back a lock of dark hair. "We've come this far, Loki. We're not letting you go now."

"Do you believe me now, Forseti?" Odin's voice rang out through the din. "Do you believe me when I say that he has changed?" He came forward through the crowd, and Martin wasn't surprised to see who was with him. On one side was the Doctor, who winked as he went past. On the other, wearing his no-expression face and his usual tailored suit, was Mycroft. And trailing behind them was General Fury.

"State your names, strangers to Asgard," Forseti said.

"As if we haven't all been talking for the past hour?" the Doctor scoffed. "I'm not a stranger to Asgard, and you know it. I am the Doctor. You all know me as Ganglari. And I also stand with Loki."

"Sir Mycroft Holmes, of Midgard," Mycroft announced. "And I am empowered by the combined governments of Midgard to speak on their behalf."

"General Nick Fury," Fury added. "I'm here on behalf of Earth security."

Forseti nodded. "Welcome, then, to Glitnir. What has Midgard to say with regards to these proceedings?"

"Midgard would like an official précis of the charges," Mycroft answered. "Of what crimes is His Majesty accused?"

Forseti looked surprised. "Collusion with the Chitauri, stealing the Tesseract, using it to bring an attack force into the city of New York, the destruction of said city, and the accompanying loss of life."

Mycroft nodded. "We'll start with collusion with the Chitauri. It is my understanding that the facts of the matter involved coercion?"

"Coercion?" Forseti repeated.

"Yes, of course. Perhaps... on Midgard, the legal definition is, in laymen's terms, the intimidation of a victim to compel the individual to do some act against his or her will by the use of psychological pressure, physical force, or threats. I was under the understanding that the Chitauri used captivity and torture in order to have Loki do their will?" He arched an eyebrow at Forseti's shocked expression. "Why, Counsel, am I to take it that no one asked the accused of the circumstances? Did no one ever ask him why?"

"He knows damned well they didn't," Martin muttered, and heard Loki snort.

"Reason is not an excuse."

"Oh, I did not say it was," Mycroft agreed smoothly. "But under Midgard law, the victim of such a crime cannot be held accountable. So I ask you, what are the facts in this case?"

Silence, and Martin bit his lip to keep from laughing. He'd never actually seen his father-in-law in action. Now he understood!

Mycroft waited, then asked, "May I enter the court?"

"You may," Forseti answered stiffly. Mycroft nodded his thanks, walked into the center of the courtyard, then turned to face Loki.

"Will you tell us, Your Majesty, what happened?" he asked. "How did you come to know the Chitauri, and to do their bidding?"

Martin felt Loki's shoulder stiffen under his hand. He nodded, then took a long breath. "I was found by them, after I fell from the Bifrost," he began. "I don't know how long I fell, nor how long they held me captive."

"And while they held you captive, they tortured you?" Mycroft asked. From behind him, Martin heard Tony whisper "Leading the witness." Followed by someone hissing, no doubt at Tony to make him shut up.

Loki ignored them. He nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, they tortured me. Until I would gladly have done anything they demanded. And what they demanded was... a cube." He shook his head, laughing roughly. "A... a cube. A glowing... thing, I had no idea what it was, what it would do. Only that it would allow them enter Midgard. They would take the cube, and leave me to rule Midgard." He paused, then sighed, raising his chained hands to rub his forehead. "I should have realized I was being lied to. That they would never let me live, let alone rule. By the time they offered, though, I was so-- The one who came to me, who made the offer. He..." Loki paused again. "She, perhaps. I don't know. It... it came to me with a glass of water. A glass of water, a kind word and a lack of pain. And for that, I sold myself. Sold my honor, sold my home, sold my family. Sold any vestige of self-respect I might have had. For a glass of water." He shuddered, and shook his head. "What kind of whore does that make me?"

"No, Loki!" Martin murmured. "No."

"And then?" Mycroft asked.

"Then? I failed." Loki looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I failed, because I underestimated the people of Midgard. I was brought home, to Asgard. I was sentenced to eternal imprisonment, and eternal silence." He shrugged slightly. "I didn't mind the silence. Not at first. But being alone... left me with the nightmares and nothing more. I didn't know what Odin had planned for me. I only knew that there were guards I had never seen before, who took me from my cell and brought me to the tower. The Tesseract was waiting there. There Odin came, with Thor. The next thing I remember, I was waking in the Chitauri ship, with no memory of anything outside that room. Until I escaped, there was only pain."

Mycroft nodded. "Your actions from that point are on record, I believe?" He looked at Forseti, who nodded. 

"They have been reported to the Ting," Forseti said. "It is not necessary to repeat them."

"Who did the reporting?" Martin asked.

"Me," the Doctor said.

"As did I," Odin answered. "Is that acceptable, my sons?"

Loki looked at Martin, who nodded. Loki answered, "It is. And thank you."

"In that case," Mycroft said, and took from his inside pocket an envelope. "I have here a document that grants King Loki of Jotunheim a full pardon for his acts. It is the opinion of the Midgard governments that, as a victim of physical and mental torture, who was acting under coercion, he cannot and should not be held accountable for the actions of his captors."

Loki's mouth opened, closed, opened again, and his face went white. "I... do not want pity."

"You're not getting any," Fury said. "There's a price tag."

"A price?" Loki looked back at Mycroft.

"Reparations," Mycroft answered. "Resources and materials for the continuing rebuilding of New York, or the costs of said materials. And... I believe your word is _wergild_?"

Loki looked startled. "Yes... yes. Of course." He looked down. "How... how many died?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the exact number. I do know that it was far fewer than would be expected, thanks to the Avengers."

Loki nodded, letting out a long breath. "Good. Is there anything else? I was hoping to speak to your government about possible alliances, but I think you may not wish to rush into anything with a king who hasn't even seen his throne yet. May I see the document?" He held out his hands, and Mycroft looked at Forseti.

"Is this necessary?" he asked, gesturing. "Let the man be freed."

Forseti scowled, but nodded, and a guard came forward and unlocked the chains. Loki rubbed his wrists, then held up one finger. "A moment, please?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and hugged Angrboða, and did the same to Martin. Then he looked out into the crowd of people, all of whom where still standing. "Thank you." He turned back to Mycroft and held out his hand. "May I see now?"

Mycroft handed him the paper, and Loki leaned back against the fence to read it, nodding every so often. "May I make changes?" he asked without looking up.

"What changes?" Mycroft asked.

"The _wergild_ seems low. Granted, I don't know your currency, but I want to be sure everything is done properly for your people." Loki looked up. "Is Thor here?"

"I'm here," Thor called from the back of the courtyard.

"How well do you know Midgard currency?"

Thor came through the crowd. "I'm learning. May I?" Loki handed him the paper, and Thor looked at it. He frowned, then closed his eyes for a moment. "This would be... ah... half- _wergild_ for a thane, I think."

"Thank you. Lord Mycroft, would you object to doubling this amount?"

"That's quite generous, Your Majesty."

Loki sighed and looked back at the papers. "I can afford to be, and they deserve no less. We'll have to set up some sort of transport for stone and raw materials, unless you would prefer to purchase on Midgard. And..." he stopped and looked up. "This final clause. This is non-negotiable?"

"Frankly, we can't guarantee your safety," Fury answered. "There are way too many angry people who aren't going to care that someone had a gun to your head. You were the face they saw, and they're going to blame you. No matter how generous you are now, you're still the guy who blew up New York."

"I... I see. Yes, I understand. And... yes, I will agree to this. Do I need to sign this?" Loki looked around, then smiled slightly as Mycroft offered him a pen. Loki moved away from the fence to a table, leaned down and signed the papers, then handed them back to Mycroft. "I suppose I should think of it as my punishment."

Mycroft bowed slightly and walked away, moving to stand in front of Martin. "Before you start screaming at me, remember that we play the long game," he whispered. "And trust me."

"The Ting yields to the laws of Midgard," Forseti announced before Martin could get a question out. "Loki, King of the Jotuns, shall for his role in the destruction of New York be held accountable for the costs of reconstruction, and shall pay a _wergild_ equivalent to the full _wergild_ of a thane of high birth. And, from this day forward, Loki shall be forbidden to step foot into the realm of Midgard."


	40. Chapter 40

With the trial over, Forseti offered his hospitality, something Odin accepted on everyone's behalf. Now Martin, Loki and Angrboða were sitting on one side of a large room, while the Avengers were all gathered on the other side. They seemed to realize that the conversation that needed to happen wasn't one they were a part of. But the conversation didn't happen -- they sat, not even looking at each other. Martin was hurt, and confused.

"Why did you agree to that?" Martin finally broke the silence, asking the question that jabbed at him. The answer _couldn't_ be what the nasty little voice in the back of his head was insisting -- that Loki was a king now. He had all the power he'd ever wanted, and a beautiful wife who plainly adored him. What did he need with a human lover? Why would he possibly want Martin to stay?

Loki looked away from the window he had been staring through. "Because they're right. All it would take would be one person with a grudge, finding out that I'm regularly on Earth, and there would be interstellar war. And if someone finds out that you're seeing me, then you become a target. You and Olivia and Violet and the boys... I can't... I can't put all of you at that risk. Not after all you've done for me." He looked over at the Avengers. "As much as I'd like to go back, to go back to Sussex, I can't." He looked back at Martin, and his expression grew sad. "You think it's because I'm leaving you? After all this, you think I'd want to cast you off?"

"You were supposed to stay..." Martin began, then sighed. "But you can't. You have your memories, you have your throne. You have responsibilities. I understand. I just... I'm being...

Loki reached out and took Martin's hand. "I understand. You explained to me already. Remember? The story you told to me? I should have thought of it. I should have explained. I didn't agree to that because I wanted you gone. I agreed because I wanted you safe!"

"I just... I want you with _us_ ," Martin said weakly.

"You going to have to share," Angrboða said, taking Martin's other hand. "We want you here, too. Why can't you stay with us? You'd be welcome in Jotunheim."

"Because Martin has responsibilities, too," Loki said. "Know you're always welcome, Martin. Whenever you want."

"Does that extend to the rest of us?" Tony asked. "We can visit?"

"I'll make sure of it," Loki answered. He leaned back and tipped his head back, groaning. "Can this day be finished now? All I wanted was this morning was something to eat!"

"Have you eaten?" Steve asked. "We made Martin eat, but they came and got you before you sat down. Did they feed you here?"

"No."

"Some hospitality," Tony muttered. He went to the door and looked outside. "Hey! Yeah, you. Think you can scare up some food? His royal Lokiness hasn't eaten yet today."

Loki burst out laughing. "What did you call me?"

"Ignore him," Bruce advised. "It means he likes you."

"I like him, too, but I'm not going to make up silly nicknames." Loki grinned. "For one, I don't think I have his talent for it."

"Stark raving mad?" Angrboða offered.

"That one's obvious!" Tony called back. "It doesn't count! And besides, the New York Times uses it at least once a week." He came back in and stopped halfway across the room. "So, is it safe?"

Loki looked at Martin, then back at Tony. "Is what safe?"

"You three," Tony answered. "Three pretty powerful magicians, all of them pissed off at something? Why did you think the rest of us were over here? None of us wanted to be in the middle!"

Loki and Martin both started laughing. "It's safe," Martin said. "And I don't think we were mad. Confused, perhaps. But General Fury is right. And Mycroft... he's up to something."

"Is he ever not up to something?" Buffy asked. "I mean, he's the king of up to something."

"Thank you, Miss Summers," Mycroft said as he came into the room. "And yes, I do have long-range plans. For the benefit of everyone, I believe."

"Where have you been?" Martin asked.

"With Odin, General Fury and Grandfather, first. Laying some groundwork. Your Majesty--"

Loki held his hand up. "Loki. Please. Your family adopted me when I had nothing, and I consider them my family now. So you should call me by name."

Mycroft nodded. "Very well. I'd like to sit down with you as well at some point when it would be convenient. As would General Fury. Who is lingering outside, uncertain of his welcome."

"Tell him to come in!" Loki raised his voice. Fury came in, glaring at Mycroft.

"You have a big mouth, Holmes."

Mycroft just smiled at him.

"I will be happy to sit down with both of you," Loki said. "I'm not certain when, though. Is my father still here?"

"No. He and Grandfather have gone back to the palace, and taken Greg on ahead. Something about a Hall of Healing?"

"How is Greg?" Martin asked. "How's the recovery going?"

"Slowly," Mycroft answered. He saw the concern on Steve's face. "An incident at work. Greg was injured. We were off for his recovery when the Doctor came and fetched us."

"He's all right, though?" Steve asked.

"He will be. Thank you."

The door opened, and several women came in, carrying trays and bowls that they set on a long table. More people came in, with pitchers and cups and plates, and more trays, until the table was covered.

"That's better than you usually get for room service," Tony said as the servants had all gone. "What did they bring?" He went over and uncovered a bowl, frowning down at it. "Ah... hey, Loki. What is this? Other than green?"

Loki got up and walked over to the table. "Green soup."

"I can tell that!"

"No, that's the name!" Loki protested, laughing."It's made with different kinds of greens. Mother used to make us eat it. I really don't care for it." He started uncovering plates. "Let's see... _Nässelsoppa_. Smoked fish -- you'll like this one, I think. _Kornmjölsgröt_ with fish. Stewed fowl. In...beer, from the smell of it. Those are _Kornbröd_ , and they're very good with the fish. Vegetables cooked in honey. This is _skyr_. And we have bread, honey, butter and cheese."

"Okay. That's close to Icelandic. Nettle soup?" Natasha asked. She came over to look at the bowl. "Looks like nettle soup to me. And porridge with fish."

"Did I hear cornbread?" Steve asked.

"You did,, but that's not what this is. It's a flatbread. I had something similar in Reykjavík once, made from barley." She picked up a bowl and filled it with soup, then looked around. "Really? Big, bad, bunch of heroes, and you're all scared of strange food?"

Loki looked around. "If you all don't want to eat, that leaves more smoked fish for me."

Tony came over, looked down at the platter of smoked fish, and picked up a piece. He popped it into his mouth, and his eyebrows rose.

"Good?" Loki asked.

"I will fight you for this," Tony mumbled. "Pass a plate? What do they smoke this with?"

"You'd have to ask Nonna," Loki answered. "Forseti's mother. She runs the household for him."

"I'm already in love with her." Tony filled his plate and turned. "Bruce, you have got to try this. And... what's this one again?" The others joined them, sampling and laughing as they ate, the room filling with chatter that had an edge of relief. Today, at least, it hadn't come to a fight. Today, at least, no one had died.

Midway through the meal, Loki was sitting on the floor between Martin and Angrboða, his plate balanced on his knee. He was looking up at Mycroft, deep in conversation about, of all things, Violet and her favorite book.

"So these stories were originally told to one child only?" Loki asked.

"Yes, that's right. Christopher Robin Milne passed away in 1996. And the toys on which the stories were based are in the New York Public Library."

"Winnie the Pooh is _real_?" Loki gasped. Then his eyes widened. "And... they weren't hurt, were they? In New York?"

"No, but it was a near thing," Bruce said. "The branch of the library where they live is only a few minutes walk from Stark Tower."

"You're worried about toys?" Fury asked, laughing. "Biggest, baddest mage to ever hit earth, and he's worried about toys."

"He always was a strange one."

Loki looked up, startled. "Thor, I didn't hear you come in. Have you eaten? There's still plenty left."

"None of you heard me," Thor said, coming further inside. Behind him were Byleist and Helblindi. "We've been standing there. If we were here to attack--"

"We'd have kicked your ass," Buffy interrupted. "We're all just working hard at relaxing right now. I think we were all expecting a fight, and we didn't get it. So... happy time!"

"And how much mead have you had?" Thor asked.

"Only one cup. It's good, but I know that stuff rots your brains. Tony warned me," Buffy answered. "So come in. Unless you have bad news. You don't have bad news, do you?"

"No. Good news, actually." Thor came inside and picked up a cup. "We ate, with Forseti. Before he left, Ganglari asked for us to sit with him to discuss... exceptions."

"Exceptions?" Martin asked. "Exceptions for what?"

"To the ban." Thor looked at Loki. "You get one more night on Midgard."

Loki blinked. "One? For what?"

"To say goodbye," Thor answered. He looked down, then sat down on the floor, facing Loki. "You were happy, in Sussex. I thought you would appreciate one more night there, before you took up the reins of power. Because I remember what it was like, not to be able to say goodbye. I don't want you to have the same regrets.  If you have no objections, that is?"

Loki swallowed, nodded. "No. No objections. Thank you, brother. I... thank you."

"That's pretty high-handed, Thor," Fury said slowly. "We said banned from Midgard."

"General, please. The quality of mercy, after all. For this reason, I have no objections," Mycroft said. "So long as the visit is conducted in secret. And is supervised."

"Supervised within reason, I hope." Martin said, putting his arm around Loki. "Because I've told you before, Mycroft, you are not allowed under my bed."

"Martin!" Mycroft gasped, and the room erupted in laughter.

#

"Mycroft," Martin asked as they boarded one of several sleighs that would take them back to the palace. "What day is it, at home?"

Mycroft arched an eyebrow, but didn't ask why Martin wanted to know. He simply settled down to sit next to Fury, the both of them facing Martin, Loki and Angrboða. "Assuming that today here is the same as today there, this is Christmas Eve."

"Oh." Martin looked down at his hands, then next to him. Loki was watching him, and nodded.

"We'll go as soon as I can arrange things," he said. "You won't miss your ritual."

Martin smiled slightly. "Thank you. So... wow, the boys were born December twenty-third. I... I think."

"Olivia had the twins?" Mycroft asked. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I was a little distracted, sir. And I'm sorry. Yes. James Sebastian and Luke Douglas. And... oh. Did... did Grandfather tell you?"

"I assume you mean about James? Yes, he did. How are Sherlock and John?"

"I... honestly, I'm not sure. Between the babies and the fighting and everything that happened to me, and dealing with all of that--"

"I was going to ask about that," Mycroft interrupted. "Why have your eyes changed color?"

And since when do you squint?" Fury added.

Martin blinked. "My eyes are a different color?" He looked at Loki. "You didn't tell me that"

"Honestly, I didn't notice," Loki answered.

"I did," Angrboða said. "But I've never met a human before. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to do that or not. They do seem to be a deeper blue than they were when I first met you."

Martin sighed. "Willow. God, I'm going to miss her."

"Willow is dead?" Mycroft asked, sounding horrified.

"Grandfather didn't tell you anything," Martin said. He drummed his fingers on his leg. "Right. Okay. Starting from the top. I got caught by the Chitauri. Tortured, but the aftereffects of that haven't hit yet. I'm probably going to want to talk to your therapist when we get home. Ah... for a while there I didn't have _any_ eyes. Willow's now a goddess. She took the Tesseract, which was alive and aware, and they left human space. And they took the Chitauri with them. And before she left, she put my eyes back, but she didn't do it quite right, so now I can't see at a distance. Have I missed anything?"

"Other than Jotun politics? I think that covers everything," Loki said.

"Jotun politics?" Martin repeated. "That's putting it mildly, don't you think?"

"There's no need to burden them with it."

Fury leaned forward. "Depends. Is it going to come around and bite us in the ass?"

Loki looked thoughtful. "By us I assume you mean Midgard? No, I don't think so. If I do end up with a civil war on my hands, I'll keep it in Jotunheim. So if you don't hear from me for a time, that will be why."

"Civil war." Fury leaned back. "All right. I'm listening."

Loki had just finished explaining "Jotun politics" when they got back to the Palace. Fury sat in the sleigh for a long moment, nodding slowly. Then he looked at Mycroft. "Well? You're the spy."

"I am not a spy," Mycroft protested. "I merely hold a minor position in the government."

"Yeah. Right. Well?"

"And... I think the government can see the benefit of keeping a stated ally on the throne. Discreetly, of course."

"Of course. Although, just how discreet can one of your people be when they'll stand out like a sore thumb?"

"That does seem to be a problem," Mycroft agreed.

"Can you use someone who'll fit in?" Byleist asked, coming out from behind the sleigh.

"Or maybe two someones?" Helblindi added.

Loki turned and smiled, then turned back to Mycroft. "Mister Holmes, General Fury, my brothers. Byleist and Helblindi."

The twins bowed in unison. Byleist looked at Helblindi, then back. "If we can help keep our brother on the throne, and honor our mother's wishes, we'll do whatever we need. Including learning the trick so that we can look like you. And if we need to come to Midgard to learn, we'll do that, too."

Martin looked at Mycroft. "They could live with us. Intern with you, learn the ins-and-outs the way I did. Maybe do some training with SHIELD."

"It's an idea," Fury said. "We'll talk about it. How old are you two?"

"My age," Martin answered. "But they're not considered adults among the Jotuns."

"Wait. You're kids?" Fury asked.

"Call them late teens, by our reckoning," Martin corrected.

"Olivia started her training at the age of sixteen. And would have started younger if I'd allowed it. So if their guardian gives permission for them to... attend school?"

"Granted," Loki said, holding up his hand. "Whatever permissions you need, I grant them. If it will keep an already divided people from devolving into all-out war, I'm all for it."

"You have changed," Fury said slowly. "I wasn't sure how far we'd be able to trust you."

"Naturally. Given the last time you saw me, I understand that." He rose, getting out of the sleigh, offering Angrboða his hand and helping her out. He tucked her hand into his arm, then looked up at Fury. "General, we'll be going to Sussex later. I hope we'll be able to talk afterward?"

"Actually, General Fury has an open invitation to our house for Christmas," Martin said. "Will you be joining us for dinner, General?"

Fury looked at him, then grinned. "Why not?"

Martin laughed and looked around. "Tony. Where's Tony? Tony!"

"Yeah?" Tony called as he came closer. "What?"

"Is Douglas in Sussex?"

"He was when we left, yeah."

"Good. May I borrow your mobile?"

Tony looked at him oddly, then handed him the mobile. Martin touched the screen and stepped away from the others.

_Tony? Is everything all right?_

"Douglas, it's me."

_Martin! Good Lord, Martin! What the hell happened to a nice, quiet year? I am going to strangle you!_

"Promises, promises," Martin said with a laugh. "Look, do a favor for me. Tell Edmund there will be... ummm... " He counting quickly, frowned, counted again, got a different number. "Oh, damn. Umm... twenty-five for dinner? At least? Ah... tell him thirty."

_What?_

"And tell him there will be something extra for the entire staff when this is over. And I'll need you to make a run for me." He looked around, didn't see Thor. "To Tromso."

"You're a romantic, Crieff," Fury said. "Give me that phone." He took the mobile from Martin. "Mister Richardson! Is Agent Hill with you? Good. Put her on. I'll handle Tromso. You focus on telling Martin's staff that they have a couple of hours to stage a meal for thirty." He laughed. "Yeah, I am taking the easy job. Rank has privileges."


	41. Chapter 41

It was several hours before things were smoothed out. Loki and Angrboða disappeared, and when Martin asked where they were, he was told it was a Jotun matter. Thor drew him aside and explained that Loki was trying to sound out the Jotun troops that remained, and who would housed in Asgard until Loki returned from Midgard.

"We're not sending them back to Jotunheim to cause problems while he's not there," Thor said.

"Good idea," Martin agreed. "Oh, I want you to come back with us. You and Odin and Frigga. You welcomed us into your home, I want to do the same. Come for Christmas."

Thor smiled slightly. "Jane's told me about your holiday. We have something similar. I'm curious about the differences. I'll talk to Mother and Father."

"Thanks. Did you see where everyone else went?"

"The Avengers are, I think, getting ready to leave, via the Bifrost. Steve said something about them going on early, to help clean up. And I have not seen Ganglari or River Song."

Martin blinked, confused. "Clean up?" Then he realized what Thor meant. "Oh... the fighting at the house. I... I still have a house, don't we?"

"Yes, you have a house," Thor answered. "The shields you put up lasted until well after the fighting, or so I'm told. But there was damage to the grounds--"

Martin felt a chill, and covered his mouth with his hand. "The cemetery?" he asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see myself. Loki would know. They found him there."

"I'll ask him when I see him." Martin turned and frowned. Where would Mycroft be? Off to see his husband and the new grandchildren, more than likely. Who were either still in the Hall of Healing, or in the suite. Suite first, since it was on the way. "Come on, Caval."

He was right. The entire Holmes clan was in the suite -- Livvy sitting on the bed with Violet. She was smiling at Mycroft and Greg, each of whom was carrying a twin. Sherlock was sitting with his back to them, his hands steepled under his chin, silent. And John was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, watching Sherlock. For the first time since they'd come back to the Palace, Caval left Martin's side, going to Sherlock and resting his head on Sherlock's knee.

"Papa!" Violet crowed. She crawled off the bed and ran to him; he scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

"Papa told us," Livvy said. Martin nodded and joined her on the bed, putting his arm around her. He closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. Perhaps talking to that therapist sooner rather than later would be a good thing.

There was a sudden knock on the door. When it opened, the Doctor peered around the edge. "Thought I'd find all of you together," he said. He came inside, followed by River Song. "I thought you might want a ride. The Bifrost is a bit rough for little ones."

"Yes, thank you," Livvy said.

"Now," Sherlock said, standing up abruptly. "Let's leave now."

"Sherlock--"

"No, John. I want to go. I want to go back to Baker Street, and forget that any of this ever happened. No more aliens, no more other worlds. No more wars that we should never have been involved with." The words came out in a rush, "I want to go _home_."

All at once, Martin was holding a baby -- Mycroft passed the bundle he was carrying to Martin, then moved to Sherlock's side, pulling his brother into his arms. Martin looked away, almost uncomfortable at witnessing the display. He looked down at the yawning baby in his arms, then up at the Doctor.

"I want to go home, too. When can we leave?"

#

"We'll meet you in Sussex," Thor said, walking down the stairs into the courtyard where the TARDIS was waiting. "There's no need for you to wait for us. I've no idea how long it will take Loki to finish what he's doing. We'll be there in a few hours, at least."

Martin nodded. "Thank you. I just... we need to be home."

"I understand," Thor said. "Go. We'll be there soon." He smiled and held his hand out. "I'm going to have to get used to calling you brother."

Martin smiled and took Thor's hand, accepting the rough half-embrace. "It's a little odd. We were friends long before we were brothers."

"Isn't that how it should be?" Loki asked, coming down the stairs towards them. "Brothers should be friends." He looked past Martin at the open TARDIS door. "You're going? Without us?"

"We're going to follow them," Thor said.

"We weren't sure how long you were going to be busy, and... well, some of us need to be home," Martin added. "Fury took the Avengers back to Sussex via the Bifrost... an hour ago, maybe?"

Loki nodded. "Need to go? Who broke?"

"Sherlock."

"Ah. I though that might be it," Loki said. "I wish there was something more we could do... wait. Isn't Ganglari a time-traveler? Can't he go back--"

"What? And catch Jim as he fell?" the Doctor finished as he came out of the TARDIS. "Pluck him out of space?"

"It would explain why Tony couldn't find him, when he did find Fengr," Martin said. "Grandfather, please? It would mean so much to them--"

"I know," the Doctor said. "I know... and I can't. I can't do it because I haven't done it."

Loki looked confused, glanced at Martin. Martin shrugged.

"He means, he wasn't there when it happened, so if he goes back and changes it, then he'll change everything we already have done since then," Thor said. "Is that right?"

"Exactly!" the Doctor said. "And that will do unimaginable damage to the time-stream. No, there are things no one, no matter who, can change. No matter how much it will mean to someone. So we keep moving forward." He looked down, let out a short sniff, then back up. "Ready to go?"

Martin nodded. "Yes." He looked at Thor and Loki. "See in you a few hours? Be sure you're there before sunset."

"We'll be on time," Loki said. He smiled slightly and stepped close, hugging Martin hard. "I'll see you soon."

"What, no kiss?" Martin teased. Loki smiled, and the kiss... Martin expected the Doctor to yell at them for stopping time. Loki finally let him go.

"Soon."

#

"It's almost sunset."

"I know, John," Martin said. He looked out the window. "Which side of the house did the Bifrost leave you on, Tony?"

"The front lawn," Tony said. "Martin, sit down. You're making us all tired."

Martin turned and looked around the library, trying not to squint. It would be days before he could see any about his vision, and not being able to see clearly was well beyond starting to be frustrating. The room was crowded already, with all the Avengers, minus Thor, of course. Fury. The entire Holmes clan. Buffy. The Doctor and River Song had left already, and Douglas had refused the offer of Christmas Eve dinner, hurrying home to his own family after admiring the twins. Martin looked out the window again and sighed. "Are we ready to go down the hill?" he asked.

"We said we'd wait for them," Livvy said, coming to his side. He put his arm around her and hugged her, breathing in her scent.

"I know. But it's getting late--"

Energy raced over him, and for a crazed moment, Martin wondered if he'd been struck by lightning. He turned, and saw out the window swirling gray clouds and white power spiraling down to the ground.

"Is that the Bifrost?" he gasped.

"Guess so," Steve said, joining them at the window. "It doesn't look like that from inside."

"What's it like inside?" Livvy asked.

Tony looked at Steve, who shrugged, then said, "I... something like the Coney Island Cyclone? Hitched onto a comet?"

"Coney Island Cyclone?" Livvy repeated.

"A roller coaster," Steve answered with a grin. "In Brooklyn. I rode it when I was a kid. It's still there, too."

"Think Space Mountain, Lady Crieff," Martin murmured. He looked around, saw that the person he was seeking was already out of her chair. "Now, shall we go greet our other guests?"

They walked out to the front of the house, and by the time they'd reached the top of the steps, the clouds had cleared, revealing the people. Martin squinted, counted seven, and started down the stairs.

"Welcome to Sussex," he called. "You're just in time." As he got closer, he saw that there was a collection of boxes on the ground. "What's all this?"

"We couldn't very well come for Yule and not bring gifts," Loki answered, laughing. "That's why we were later than we thought we would be."

"Someone insisted," Thor added. He started to say something else, then stopped, focusing on something behind Martin. His jaw dropped, and his voice was harsh when he whispered, "Jane?"

Martin grinned. "Happy Christmas, Thor." Thor gaped at him for a moment, then laughed and took off running towards the steps.

"So, that's Jane?" Frigga asked. "She's very pretty."

"And she's very clever," Martin said, after greeting Byleist and Helblindi. "She's one of the top scientists on Earth. From what they told me, she's almost got the Bifrost figured out."

"She's done what?" Loki asked.

"Figured out how the Bifrost works," Martin repeated.

"But... she's not a mage?" Loki said slowly.

"Nope." Martin grinned. "There are some things that our science is discovering now that Willow told me witches have known for centuries. Magic and science are... well, two sides of the same coin, really."

"An interesting idea," Odin said. "I'd be interested in talking with your scientists about it."

"I'm sure Mycroft would be able to arrange something. Come inside. We'll get you settled, then do down the hill."

Frigga looked curious, until Loki touched her arm. "The ritual I told you about, Mother."

"Ah. Of course."

As they started towards the house, Martin fell in next to Loki, who looked... almost nervous.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You haven't been down there yet, have you?" Loki asked.

"No. Why?" Martin stopped. "Was there damage?"

Loki hesitated, then looked at Angrboða. "Would you care to take a walk?"

"Loki!"

Loki met his eyes. "Martin, let me do this. The damage was because of me. Let me fix it. I don't want you hurt any more."

Martin felt himself swaying, felt a strong hand on his arm. "It was that bad?"

"Yes," Loki said, unusually serious. "We'll go and put things right, then when we come back, everyone else can go down."

"But..." Martin looked up. "It's almost sunset."

"We'll be quick," Loki said. He held out his hand to Angrboða, but stopped when Martin rested his hand on his arm.

"I'm going with you."

#

"We have ten minutes," Martin said as he met Loki, Angrboða and Odin at the bottom of the steps. "Mycroft will bring everyone down to meet us."

"That should be enough time," Loki said. "I wish you'd stay with them."

"No."

Odin chuckled. "Two stubborn boys."

"Well, who do we get it from, then?" Martin asked. Odin laughed harder.

As they reached the edge of the trees, Martin could see the beginnings of the damage. Trees were down, and the path was littered with branches and burnt wood. Instead of running out into the trees as he usually did, Caval stayed close, whimpering.

"It's all right, boy," Martin said, stepped over a large branch. "We'll need to clear this."

"We will." Loki stopped, turned to put his hand on Martin's chest. "Please, wait here."

"I told you! I'm coming with you." Martin covered Loki's hand with his. "Thank you. But I need to see how bad this is."

Loki nodded and stepped out of the way, letting Martin walk into the clearing. The first thing that Martin saw was the great black plinth was gone, and the smaller one next to it had been cut in two. "Oh, my God," he breathed, turning. The twin gray stones were nothing more than rubble, and there were great, gaping holes in the ground.

"Martin, don't go any further. Please," Loki said from behind him. "Just... don't."

Martin turned, realizing why Loki didn't want him to go. "Alexander?"

"The stone is smashed."

Martin swallowed. "Tony... Tony didn't say anything. He told me he found you here, but he didn't say..."

"I asked him not to," Loki said. "I knew I could put this right, and I was going to do it before you saw. But..." he shrugged. "Now, come stand over here. Let me work."

"Loki, may I be of assistance?" Odin offered.

"Thank you, Father," Loki answered. He stepped forward, then went to one knee and rested his hands on the ground. Angrboða moved to Martin's side, siding her arm around his back. He hugged her to his side and watched as Loki's hands started to glow a brilliant green. Odin moved behind him, resting his hand on Loki's shoulder and adding a gold glow to the green. The combined magic slowly spread out over the ground, rising up the standing stones, moving around Martin and Angrboða and flowing out into the trees. The glow grew brighter, until Martin had to close his eyes and turn away. He could still feel it, though, a comforting warmth against his skin. It slowly faded away, and Martin opened his eyes, blinking.

"Very well done," Odin said. Martin turned, and his jaw dropped.

"Loki..." he gasped. "It's... it looks like nothing happened!"

Loki smiled, but there was a tired edge to the smile that told Martin clearly just how much this gesture had taken out of him. "I wish you hadn't seen it the other way," he said.

"No, I'm glad I did," Martin said. He let go of Angrboða and moved to Loki's side. "If I hadn't, I'd never have known..." he stopped and reached out to cup Loki's cheek. "You don't have to keep proving yourself to me. Not how much you've changed, nor how much you love us. I know."

"I know," Loki said. "And that's why I had to. Because I do."

Martin smiled and leaned into kiss Loki. "Thank you."

"They're coming," Odin said. "Are you all right, my son?"

Loki nodded. "Just tired. Thank you, for the help."

Odin smiled and moved out of the clearing. Angrboða came closer, moving to Loki's side. She kissed his cheek. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," Loki assured her. He smiled, putting an arm around each of them. "I'm more than fine. Now, it's sunset. There are people waiting. And I'm hungry. Shall we?"

Movement, and Martin looked up to see Mycroft leading the family into the clearing. Behind the family came friends, and Tony's eyes widened as he entered the clearing and saw what Loki had done. He came over to them and whispered, "Nice job!"

"Thank you," Loki whispered back.

Martin pulled Loki and Angrboða into the group, joining Livvy. She was standing with John, a baby in her arms and Violet by her side. Frigga stood behind her, carrying the other baby. Martin picked up Violet and kissed Livvy on the cheek.

"What was that glow?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"I'll explain later," Martin answered. He put his arm around her, hugged her, then sighed. "I'm sorry, love."

She looked up. "For?"

"I couldn't save them. And I'm sorry."

Now she looked very confused. "Sir Darling, I know. I know you're sorry. And no one thinks it was your fault. Except you."

"And... now I know it's not. I wish I could change it, but I can't. So... we keep going forward."

Livvy nodded. "I love you, Sir Darling. And yes. We keep going forward. But we never forget."

"No. We don't." Martin turned to see Sherlock, standing behind them. He nodded. "We never forget."

#

Once the sun set, it grew bitterly cold, enough so that Mycroft finished the ritual greeting with uncommon speed. The group started back up the hill all together, except for Sherlock and John.

"They don't come right back up," Livvy said. "Papa... he stays a bit. I don't know why."

"Not curious?" Tony asked.

"Not willing to be called an idiot by my own father," Livvy answered. "And he would, too. And get yelled at for it by Uncle John. Best for everyone just not to give in to curiosity."

"How is it that you have... how many fathers is it?" Odin asked.

"Four," Livvy answered. "And... it's complicated."

"It would have to be. May I hold a grandson?"

"Of course!" Livvy stopped and let him take the well-wrapped bundle of baby. "And Sherlock is my biological father. Mycroft is my adoptive father. John and Greg are bonus fathers."

"And Sherlock and Mycroft are brothers?" Odin asked. "Yes, I see how that would be complicated."

Livvy looked at him, and laughed. "Nothing like that! No! You can ask Papa. He's not shy about it. And everyone here knows."

"It's not information that I need. But I thank you." Odin looked down at the baby and smiled. "It's been too long."

"It has," Frigga said.

"Grandchildren will be pleasant." Odin looked up, caught Loki looking at him. "Don't you think?"

"I'm not fully married yet," Loki answered, grinning. "And Thor isn't married at all yet. So you'll have to be patient, old man." He stopped, sniffing the air. "Snow. And soon. Let's go inside."

"That's not all,"Martin said. "I smell dinner."

"Even more reason to go inside!"

#

Martin had never seen the great table in the dining room quite so crowded before. The staff had somehow managed to pull together a dinner that Martin would swear had been planned for weeks, and it was a merry meal. After, they all settled in the library for drinks.

"You promised sagetti," Loki said, laughing over the rim of his glass of hot cider.

"I did," Martin agreed. "But it would be risking my own life to venture into the kitchens right now. Cook and Hannah both have the day off tomorrow, so I'll make it for breakfast."

"You're making spaghetti carbonara for breakfast?" John asked.

"Why not?" Martin asked. "And I did promise."

"Papa, are you going to read King John?" Violet called. "Or can Uncle Luke read it?"

"King John?" Odin asked, looking over at the fireplace where John was sitting with Sherlock and Mycroft.

"A Christmas poem," Martin answered. "We usually read it on Christmas Eve."

"Father, you should tell the story of the first song," Thor called from his place on the couch. He and Jane had been inseparable all night, and were sitting together, talking in low voices.

"I didn't think you were paying attention," Loki teased.

"Why don't I read King John, then Grandfather Odin can tell his story?" Martin suggested. "Go fetch your book, Poppet."

Violet ran out of the room, coming back several minutes later carrying the big, blue book. She handed it to Martin, then pressed against his side. Martin smiled as he opened the book, moving it to a comfortable position where he could actually read it.

"All right. King John's Christmas, by A.A Milne--

_King John was not a good man —_

_He had his little ways._

_And sometimes no one spoke to him_

_For days and days and days._

_And men who came across him,_

_When walking in the town,_

_Gave him a supercilious stare,_

_Or passed with noses in the air —_

_And bad King John stood dumbly there,_

_Blushing beneath his crown._

The poem went on for a while, finishing with King John's remorse, and his getting, all by accident, the one thing that he'd wanted most -- a bright red India rubber ball. Martin closed the book and looked up to see Natasha looking amused. It took him a moment to remember why.

Odin smiled, then yawned. "I am tired," he said. "Loki, will you tell the tale?"

Loki almost spit out his drink. "Me?" he gasped, coughing. "You want me to tell it?"

"Would you?" Violet crowed. "Please?"

Loki sat quiet for a moment, eyes wide. He looked stunned. Then he swallowed and looked up at Odin. "I... don't know if I can do it the way you do," he said quietly. 

"You won't know if you don't try," Odin told him gently.

"Tell the story, brother," Byleist said.

"We want to hear it."

"Please?" Violet added. Loki met her eyes and smiled, then held his hand out.

"You have to come sit with me and help," he said. "I've never done this before."

Violet took his hand and curled up on the floor next to him. "What do I do?" she asked.

"Sit there and give me courage," Loki answered.

"I can do that."

Loki took a deep breath, licked his lips, then closed his eyes. " _This is the story of the very first song; it is a true story, as all stories are, if you believe in them... This story begins a long, long time ago, when the Earth and Sun gave birth to the first beings --- the very first plants, and animals, and people. It was springtime, and the Sun shone warm and bright from his high perch above, and Earth, proud mother that she was, held and fed her newborns and relished them with tenderness and love. It was a time of joy, it was a time of great delight._ "

It was a long story, and before Loki was done, Violet was asleep in his lap. He smiled down at her as he finished: " _And so do we, upon this longest night, gather with those we love and who love us, and stand upon the body of slumbering Earth, and light the log with last year's coal, and lift our voices soaring to the Sun, and join the song that first was sung so very long ago._

_"We sing our thanks to those who went before, and sing our fondest wish to those who come behind. We bask in the returning light of reawakened hope, and welcome Yule."_

"That was beautiful," Buffy said, leaning against Steve's shoulder. "Sing our thanks to those who went before. That's kind of what we did, isn't it? When we went down the hill?"

"It is," Mycroft agreed. "Thank you, Loki."

"Thank you," Loki said. "I should bring Violet up to her bed. Excuse me?"

"You told it well, my son," Odin said as Loki rose, shifting the sleeping child in his arms. "You told it very well."

Loki flushed slightly. "Thank you." He left, and Mycroft rose.

"Sir, if I may speak to you? In private?"

"Business, Mycroft? On Christmas?" Fury asked. He was far more relaxed than Martin had ever seen him, and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Just a few minor details to be clarified. Small items. Nothing of import."

"Right. Sure." Fury rose and brushed non-existent crumbs off his shirt. "Mind if I sit in?"

"Of course not, General," Mycroft answered. "I would welcome your opinion. John, if I might borrow you as well?"

John looked up, startled. "I'm not part of the department any more, Mycroft."

"I value your insight."

John blinked, looked down at his cup, then set it aside. "There's my Christmas gift for the rest of my life," he announced. "I've been complimented by Mycroft Holmes." He rose and followed Mycroft, Odin and Fury out of the room.

Martin sighed and put his arm around Livvy, letting himself relax, hearing the soft conversations wax and wane around the room. Loki came back, and went to sit with Thor, Jane and Angrboða, the four of them talking quietly about something. Mycroft returned, only to leave again with Greg. Livvy, accompanied by Frigga, left to go put the babies to sleep. Martin watched them all, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Only for a moment...

When he opened them, the room was quiet, and he was laying on the couch, covered by a blanket.

"Awake now?"

He looked around, saw Loki sitting in the corner, reading.

"What time is it?"

"Either very late or very early, depending on which way you want to look at it," Loki answered. He closed his book and came over to sit next to Martin. "You fell asleep, and no one wanted to bother you. So I moved you onto the couch, and we let you sleep."

"Oh." Martin tried to sit up, found himself pinned in place by Loki's weight on the blanket. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We've all been through so much over the past few days. I slept a bit myself, waiting for you to wake up. And honestly? Watching you sleep is almost as pleasant as sleeping with you." Loki reached out and brushed Martin's hair back. "Not that I don't want to do that, too."

"Then you should get up, so I can get up."

Hand in hand, they walked through the silent halls and upstairs to the master bedroom. "Where did Edmund put Odin and Frigga?" Martin asked.

"The Duke room," Loki answered. "So you might have to change that name." He opened the bedroom door, stepped inside, and stopped. "Well.... that wasn't what I was expecting."

"What?" Martin followed him, closed the door, and looked at the wide bed. "Oh."

"I wasn't expecting..." Loki repeated, just as Martin murmured, "It's a good thing our wives get along so well."

Loki snorted. "So, do we crawl in with them, or go to the other room?"

"Depends. Do you want to sleep, or not sleep?"

Loki looked at him, then pulled him closer and started unfastening buttons on Martin's shirt. "Right now? I just want you with me. I don't need sex. I just need you with me."

"Then let's go to bed."

#

There was hair in his face. Dark hair. It took a moment before Martin could tell just who it belonged to. Angrboða, sleeping curled up against his chest, her long hair spread out everywhere. The warmth behind him, that was Loki. Where was Liv? As he raised his head, and in the dim light, he could just see her coming out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she whispered, leaning over Angrboða to kiss him.

"Good morning," he answered. "Coming back in?"

"I think so. Now that the boys are both fed and sleeping. Did you hear them?"

"No, I didn't. Were you all right?"

"Frigga showed me how to nurse twins," Livvy answered. "It need a few more cushions than just one. But it makes them both happy at the same time."

"You make me happy all the time."

Livvy smiled and kissed him again, then walked around the bed and climbed in on Loki's other side. Loki grumbled and shifted, but didn't wake. Martin let himself slip back into a light doze, waking when Angrboða stirred, sighed, then squeaked.

"Martin!"

"Good morning," he said.

"And... oh." Angrboða sat up. "Oh. I..."

"What?" Loki grumbled. Martin looked over his shoulder to see that Loki had pulled Livvy into his arms, and was curled around her still-sleeping form. He looked up and smiled. "Surprise?"

"Loki! I... we..."

"Gave your husbands a lovely surprise, the two of you," Martin said. "And we joined you to sleep. Nothing more."

"Oh." Angrboða's face was almost amethystine in her embarrassment. "I... I--"

"Angrboða, you announced to the Ting that you were my wife, only yesterday. I don't think anyone exists who doesn't think you spent the night in my bed," Loki said. "I don't mind that you started out the night sleeping with Olivia."

"That's all we did," Livvy said, and yawned.

"And it wasn't planned."

"So?" Martin asked. "Next time, we will plan it. Now, dear, you're going to have to let me up. I'm making breakfast. And there are presents to be opened as soon as we eat."

"Presents?" Loki repeated.

"You sound like Vee." Livvy laughed and kissed him, then pulled out of his arms. "As lovely as you feel, darling Loki, we do need to get out of bed."

"All right. What can I do to help?"

"Keep an ear on the boys while we shower?" Martin asked. "Then shower and find me in the kitchen. I'll put you to work as a scullery maid."

"And just think. Only yesterday, I was a king!"

#

The hall looked as if a wrapping factory had exploded. Martin picked up his coffee cup and sipped, smiling at the chaos. The presents from Asgard had been unexpected and wildly successful, including a small bow from Sif, one that was just the right size for Violet. Clint had looked delighted when Violet asked him to teach her. Mycroft waded through the wreckage, picking up pieces of paper, then stopped. He picked up a package that looked as if it had been wrapped with scraps.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's for Uncle Luke," Violet said. She walked over and took the package from Mycroft, carried it solemnly to Loki. "Because he's going back home, and he won't be here any more."

"Violet--" Loki started to say. Violet shoved the package into his hands and fled, running into Martin's arms. Loki started to get up, then settled back down as Martin shook his head. Instead, he unwrapped the package to reveal a large, blue book. "Violet?" he asked. "Is this... you want me to have your book?"

Violet nodded, her face buried in Martin's shoulder. Loki got up slowly, crossed to stand in front of Martin. He laid one hand on Violet's back. When she looked at him, he held his arms out, and she went to him.

"I will treasure this forever," Loki said softly. "This... Violet, this is the best present anyone has ever given to me."

"Is it?"

"Yes, Violet. And you're right. I won't be coming back. But you can come and visit me. You are always welcome in Jotunheim."

"I want you to stay," Violet said, and Martin heard the tears starting.

"I wish I could," Loki said. "I do. I wish I could. But I can't."

Odin stood up slowly. "Perhaps... it's time we left."

Loki looked at him, then back at Martin. He hugged Violet, then put her down. "Yes. I think it is."

#

The goodbyes were solemn at the top of the front steps. Byleist and Helblindi were staying, and had been coached by Odin on how to maintain the spells that would make them look human. So it was a party of six that was leaving for Asgard -- Jane was going with them. Martin walked them down to the Bifrost site, Caval at his heels as usual.

"All you have to do is call," Odin said. "Heimdel will hear you and open the Bifrost."

Martin nodded. "We'll come. Once the boys are a little bigger. We'll come."

"Make sure you do," Frigga scolded. She hugged Martin, then stepped back.

"You might want to stand back," Thor warned.

"Wait," Martin said. He knelt and petted Caval, then kissed the dog on the head. "Go on, Caval," he said. Caval licked him on the chin, then bounded toward Loki and jumped on him.

"Caval, you can't come with us," Loki said. Then he stopped and stared at Martin. "Martin!"

"Part of me, with you always," he said softly.

Loki looked stunned, then whispered, "I accept. Thank you."

Martin nodded and walked back toward the stairs, turning to watch as the lights and clouds gathered and the energy flared. When the lights faded away, they were gone.

He slowly walked up the stairs, and found only Mycroft waiting at the top.

"Well, now," Mycroft said. "Are you ready to get to work?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The First Song was written by Andras Corban Arthen, and can be found on the MotherTongue album "This Winter's Night"
> 
> Also, the text can be found here: http://www.earthspirit.com/newsletter/firstsong.html


	42. Chapter 42

Loki stood in front of the mirror and scowled at his reflection.

"Oh, if you look any more fierce, you'll break the glass," Angrboða scolded. She came over to stand behind him. "Why so angry?"

"I can't get the collar to lay right," Loki answered. Angrboða studied his reflection for a moment, then laughed,

"Because you missed a button. Here, turn to me." Loki turned to face her, and she started unfastening the dozens of tiny buttons that some idiot tailor had decided would be perfect for Loki's wedding tunic.

A year. Too long. He'd returned to Jotunheim and his throne, and threw himself into the duties of being king. First, there had been the state funeral for his mother, the ten days of mourning that led into the ritual burning of her body and the building of her funerary monument. Byleist and Helblindi had come home for that, and had been accompanied by General Fury and Mycroft Holmes. There had been no time for diplomacy though -- the ashes were barely cold before the warriors who followed Fengr rose in rebellion. Loki had led those loyal to his mother against them, and had won their loyalty. And, to his surprise, their love. Today was the proof of that, the long-postponed royal wedding that was easily the most lavish affair that Loki had ever been part of, and he'd heard tell of at least three different songs being sung in the streets, celebrating green-eye'd Loki, the Jotun King, the Warrior-Mage, and his Jotun bride.

"I heard another one," Angrboða murmured, starting to refasten buttons.

"You're in my head again."

"I like it there." She smiled up at him. "This one I heard myself. Some _scop_ got into the palace, and was singing it under my window last night."

Loki arched an eyebrow at her. "And when were you in your room to hear it, wife?"

She giggled. "When I was putting on the bridal dress that you enjoyed so much."

"Oh, the one that looks so nice on my floor?" Loki said with a laugh. The wedding ceremony had been last night at sunset. Followed immediately by the consummation, and there Loki had put his foot down. Old Jotun custom or not, he was not going to have a party of six old women watching him as he deflowered his bride! The celebration of the marriage would be tonight. If Loki could ever manage to get all of his buttons properly aligned.

"Raise your chin," Angrboða said. Loki looked up, feeling her fingers brushing against his throat, and wondered. Would he be here tonight?

A year.

A year since he'd last seen Martin. Months since there had been any word. The last time Thor had gone to Midgard, he'd come back with the news that Martin and his family were well, but that Martin had resigned his position at SHIELD. And there had been problems on Midgard that had kept the Avengers busy, so recently, there had been no news at all. Loki looked over to the corner of the room, where Caval lay curled up, asleep.

Too long.

"I hope they come, too," Angrboða said. She ran her hands down Loki's chest. "There. All done."

Loki smiled and looked in the mirror. The tunic was white and silver -- the colors of royalty here in Jotunheim -- and it had a high collar that emphasized the line of his jaw, even more so than his former black and green. He rather liked the effect. "So, which me am I tonight?" he asked. "Asgardian or Jotun?"

"I think everyone is used to your Asgardian face, my husband," Angrboða answered. "And I don't think you want to forget. Not tonight."

"Oh, no. No, not tonight." Loki smiled. It had become something of amusement in the court, of just how easy it was to startle the blue off the King. After having lived so long as an Asgardian, he simply couldn't manage to hold on to his Jotun appearance if he was angry or surprised. Or if he was laughing, which seemed to happen far more often these days. Loki held still as Angrboða settled a great chain of silver and emeralds over his shoulders, smoothing the medallion on his breast. Then he reached for the crown that he had been given by Fárbauti, so long ago. He'd refused to have another made when he took the throne, had been appalled at some of the ostentatious designs that they'd showed to him to try and convince him to change his mind. Instead, he'd commissioned a crown to match his own, one that tonight he'd have the pleasure of seeing on Angrboða for the first time.

He checked his appearance again in the mirror as he put the crown on his head. The spotless silk tunic and the chain. The chased silver belt and the emerald-hilted dagger that Thor had given to him only the day before. His hair was combed back and braided, the longer length of it a source of annoyance, but there simply had never been time for him to have it cut. He saw Angrboða's smile in the mirror, saw her fingers twitch, and felt his braid unraveling.

"Boða!"

She laughed, running her fingers through his now-loose hair. "I like it out. It suits you better. You look too severe with it pulled back."

"I'll leave it out." Loki tried to pull her closer, but she twisted out of his grip.

"I don't want to get you mussed. Yet," she said. "How do I look?"

Loki stepped back and admired her. Her gown had been made to match his tunic, to show everyone that she was his Queen. "You're beautiful."

She colored prettily, folding her hands in front of her. "Thank you."

Loki held his hand out to her. "Shall we, my wife?"

She beamed at him and took his hand. As they started towards the door, he looked over his shoulder. "Caval?"

The dog looked up, stood, shook himself, and followed.

#

Loki and Angrboða entered the great hall to resounding cheers, and Loki had to fight from grinning like an idiot as they made their way down the length of the hall towards the dais and the throne. Near the front, he could see Odin and Frigga, the both of them beaming with pride. Thor and Jane were with them. And, to Loki's surprise, so were the Avengers. Tony winked at him as he and Angrboða passed, and Loki laughed out loud.

No sign of Martin. He swallowed his disappointment and let go of Angrboða's hand, mounting the dais and turning to face his people. The cheers grew louder, and he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sound wash over him. Then he held up his hands, and they fell silent. He smiled, and looked at Angrboða, holding his hand out to her. She joined him on the dais, her eyes never leaving his. He kissed her hands, and she smiled and went to one knee. Stepping back, Loki picked up the smaller crown and held it aloft for a moment before lowering it onto Angrboða's head. He drew her to her feet and put his arm around her.

"My people," he said, his voice carrying in the silence. "I give you your Queen." The roar of approval was even louder, which set Caval barking, Laughter mixed with the cheers, which grew impossibly louder when Loki gave in to impulse and kissed Angrboða. When the cheers finally died away again, Loki raised one hand. "Thank you, for celebrating with us," he called out. It was the signal for the celebration to really begin.

Loki led Angrboða down to the floor, and was met at the bottom of the steps by Odin. "You've done well, my son," he said. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," Loki said. He fought the urge to try and see past Odin, and had just given up when he was surrounded by Avengers.

"Look at you," Tony proclaimed. "You look great."

"Thank you," Loki answered. He looked Tony up and down. "You look very nice. And... who is this?" He smiled at the pretty blonde with Tony.

"Oh, right. Your Majesty, if I may present Pepper Potts?" Tony bowed slightly. "My right hand, my better half, keeper of things that I lose. And most of the time, my conscience."

"And the one who laughed when Sherlock insulted you?" Loki asked. He held his hand out to her. "A pleasure."

Pepper laughed, taking his hand. "How did you know that?"

"Olivia told me." Before he could ask, Natasha grabbed him, hugged him hard, then passed him on to Clint. Buffy's appearance on Steve's arm was a surprise, the ring on her finger more of one, and Loki had just managed to stammer out his congratulations before he was ambushed once more.

"Brother!" Byleist crowed, grabbing him and hugging him hard. "Look at you! Mother would be so proud!"

"And we're proud, too." Helblindi hugged Loki, then Angrboða.

"When did you get here?" Loki demanded. "I was starting to think you'd miss it!"

Byleist grimanced. "Sorry. We were in conferences with Mycroft all day yesterday--"

"Top secret, slit-our-own-throats-before-telling conferences--"

"So don't ask--"

"We wanted to be here for the ceremony--"

"But the NatSec Counselor talks to hear himself talk--"

"And loves the sound of his own voice."

Loki grinned. "You're forgiven. Midgard agrees with you?"

"We like it," Helblindi said. "The food is interesting, and the woman are fascinating. But it gets too hot in the summers."

"Winter is better. Then it's almost like home."

"And have you seen Martin and Olivia?" Angrboða asked. "And the children?"

The twins looked at each other, then back at Loki. "We have pictures. They live all the time in Sussex now--" Byleist started.

"And we're in London with Mycroft--"

"So we don't see them as often as we did when we all lived in the townhouse."

Loki nodded, forcing himself to keep smiling. His last hope -- that they would have come with the twins. He saw, out of the corner of his eyes, a flash of red. When he looked, it was gone.

"Excuse me," Odin said. "May I borrow the King for a moment?"

"Of course, sir," Byleist said. "We'll keep our sister company."

Odin drew Loki out of the group and off toward the side of the hall. "I realize that tonight is an inopportune time for diplomacy, but Midgard has finally sent their embassy staff."

"Their timing could be better," Loki said softly, looking down to see that Caval was at his side. "And... they're _here_? In the hall?"

"The ambassador is. The rest of the staff will be moving in to the embassy tomorrow. I may have overstepped my boundaries, but I had them housed in another part of the palace for the night. And Thor and Jane are entertaining the ambassador while he waits."

Loki nodded. "Thank you. And no, you didn't overstep. Where are we going?"

"Here." Odin opened the door to one of the smaller rooms off the hall. Loki walked in, hearing Thor laughing. The room was crowded, and Loki stopped, seeing Steve. Tony. Natasha. All the Avengers. Mycroft Holmes. Then Caval barked once, a high, puppyish sound the likes of which Loki hadn't heard from him before. Then a small, high voice pierced the room.

"Uncle Luke!"

Loki turned, seeing the fire-haired child racing toward him. He knelt, and caught her, hugged her tightly. "Violet!" he stammered. "Violet... what are you doing here?" Then he looked up, and couldn't breathe.

"Your Majesty?" Mycroft said, his voice smooth. "May I present--"

Loki opened his mouth. Closed it again. Slowly got to his feet, feeling dizzy. "We... we've met," he said. "Martin--"

Martin stood a few feet from him, resplendent in a tuxedo, and somehow still managing to look uncomfortable. He wore neat, wire-framed glasses, which somehow made him look younger. He smiled slightly, gave a weak laugh and said, "Sorry I'm late."

Loki stared at him, then started giggling. Which set Martin off. For a moment, all they could do was laugh. Then Martin closed the distance between them and pulled Loki into a fierce embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into Loki's ear. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I wanted to."

Loki nodded, holding on tight, afraid that this was just one more dream, and that he'd wake to find himself alone again. "You're really here?"

"Really. And staying."

"Staying?" Loki repeated. He stepped back, looked at Martin, then realized... " _You're_ the ambassador?" Everyone started laughing, and he looked around, realizing that he'd been completely taken in. "And you all knew? All of you?" He caught sight of Thor's grin. "You knew?"

"I've known for most of the year. It was the hardest secret I have ever had to keep," Thor answered.

"And you did it," Loki nodded, still feeling more than a little stunned. "Well done. You... you've never managed to keep a secret from me before. Ever."

"First time for everything," Thor said. He turned, and Loki saw the woman standing behind him. For a moment, he didn't recognize her. Then she smiled.

"Olivia!" Loki gasped. "Oh... I barely knew you!"

"Do I look that different? I didn't think so," she said, smiling. She came up to him and kissed him, then stepped back. "You look magnificent."

"So do you." Loki looked around. "Where are the boys?"

"With the nanny, in our room. And I won't be staying long," Livvy answered. "Just long enough to make the rounds with Martin. Then I'll go back and see the children off to bed. But I couldn't wait to see you. I missed you. We all did."

"I missed you," Loki said. He looked around. "Where's Angrboða? Does she know you're here?"

"I knew," Angrboða said, coming to Loki's side. "Granted, I only found out this morning, but I knew."

Martin grinned. "Mycroft has been planning this since Grandfather grabbed him and Greg out of Cannes and told him what was happening with us. And between us. He started the ball rolling at Christmas, and I've been spending the last year going to school."

"I wouldn't say he was one of my best pupils," Mycroft said. "But he did come along nicely."

Martin smiled, adjusted his glasses. "Well, now that we've shocked you silly, shall we go back to your party, Your Majesty?"

"Wait, before we go back out," Loki said. "There are conditions on your staying? If Mycroft set this up, there must be. So?"

"Yes," Mycroft answered. "They have to come back to Midgard every six months, for two weeks. To report to me, and to visit the family. Regardless of personal relationships, Martin is expected to maintain a professional outlook with regards to his position and his role as representative of Midgard. And he's not to give up any secrets."

"Like I know any," Martin muttered.

"And the children will attend public school on Midgard," Mycroft finished.

"I haven't agreed to that!" Livvy said firmly.

"We're not having this argument now," Martin said. "And we have time to come to an agreement. So, shall we?"

"One more thing." Loki looked around once more. "Where are Sherlock and John?"

Martin let out a short breath. "Sussex. They're spending more time there than in London these days. I let them know we were coming, but... Sherlock, he won't come back here. And John won't leave him."

Loki nodded. "Mycroft, would you send them my regards?"

"Of course," Mycroft answered. "Now, we've monopolized your time enough."

"Of course," Loki said, and grinned as he realized he'd mimicked Mycroft. "Come and meet my people. He turned and held his hand out to Angrboða. "And welcome to your new home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented and stayed with me through this long, crazy run. I've loved every minute of it, and I hope you have, too.
> 
> This isn't the end of my Sherlock fanfic (as a matter of fact, there is ONE loose end that needs to be tied down in this series. So keep an eye out for the Coda.) But I'm taking some time off to work on original stuff that's been piling up while I finished Endgames.
> 
> You can find me online at http://easchechter.wordpress.com/


End file.
